The objection to fairy stories is that they tell children there are dragons. But children have always known there are dragons. Fairy stories tell children that dragons can be killed.

The modern world has far too little understanding of the art of keeping young. Its notion of progress has been to pile one thing on top of another, without caring if each thing was crushed in turn. People forgot that the human soul can enjoy a thing most when there is time to think about it and be thankful for it. And by crowding things together they lost the sense of surprise; and surprise is the secret of joy.

Humility is the mother of giants.

One must somehow find a way of loving the world without trusting it; somehow one must love the world without being worldly.

All architecture is great architecture after sunset.

When you have really exhausted an experience you always reverence and love it.

The poor complain that they are governed badly. The rich complain that they are governed at all.