Wonder [admiratio astonishment, marvel] is a kind of desire for knowledge. The situation arises when one sees an effect and does not know its cause, or when the cause of the particular effect is one that exceeds his power of understanding. Hence, wonder is a cause of pleasure insofar as there is annexed the hope of attaining understanding of that which one wants to know. ... For desire is especially aroused by the awareness of ignorance, and consequently a man takes the greatest pleasure in those things which he discovers for himself or learns from the ground up.

I receive Thee ransom of my soul. For love of Thee have I studied and kept vigil toiled preached and taught.

Fear is such a powerful emotion for humans that when we allow it to take us over, it drives compassion right out of our hearts.

Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder.

Distinctions drawn by the mind are not necessarily equivalent to distinctions in reality.

Every judgement of conscience, be it right or wrong, be it about things evil in themselves or morally indifferent, is obligatory, in such wise that he who acts against his conscience always sins.

The test of the artist does not lie in the will with which he goes to work, but in the excellence of the work he produces.