What we think or what we know or what we believe is in the end of little consequence. The only thing of consequence is what we do

In old times men used their powers of painting to show the objects of faith, in later times they use the objects of faith to show their powers of painting.

... the weakest among us has a gift, however seemingly trivial, which is peculiar to him, and which, worthily used, will be a gift also to his race forever.

I wish they would use English instead of Greek words. When I want to know why a leaf is green, they tell me it is coloured by "chlorophyll," which at first sounds very instructive; but if they would only say plainly that a leaf is coloured green by a thing which is called "green leaf," we should see more precisely how far we had got.

Repose demands for its expression the implied capability of its opposite,--energy.

The great cry that rises from all our manufacturing cities, louder than the furnace blast, is all in very deed for this -- that we manufacture everything there except men.

Nothing can be beautiful which is not true.