Men are made uneasy; they flinch; they cannot bear the sudden light; a general restlessness supervenes; the face of society is disturbed, or perhaps convulsed; old interests and old beliefs have been destroyed before new ones have been created. These symptoms are the precursors of revolution; they have preceded all the great changes through which the world has passed.
Henry Thomas BuckleSir, the slowness of genius is hard to bear, but the slowness of mediocrity is insufferable.
Henry Thomas BuckleWhen the interval between the intellectual classes and the practical classes is too great, the former will possess no influence, the latter will reap no benefit.
Henry Thomas BuckleEven in an advanced stage of civilization, there is always a tendency to prefer those parts of literature which favor ancient prejudices, rather than those which oppose them; and in cases where this tendency is very strong, the only effect of great learning will be to supply the materials which may corroborate old errors and confirm old superstitions. In our time such instances are not uncommon; and we frequently meet with men whose erudition ministers to their ignorance, and who, the more they read the less they know.
Henry Thomas Buckle