Erasmus (c.1466–1536,) fully Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, Dutch name Gerhard Gerhards, was a Dutch humanist and scholar. He was one of the most influential figures of the Renaissance in northern Europe. Writing extensively on both theological and secular themes, he was the first to achieve reputation through the printed word.
Born an illegitimate son of a priest in Rotterdam, Erasmus was ordained in 1492 and studied in Paris. From 1499, he adopted the life of an independent scholar, moving from city to city tutoring, lecturing, and corresponding with scholars throughout Europe.
Erasmus published his own Greek edition of the New Testament (1516,) followed by a Latin translation. He also wrote Encomium Moriae (1509, ‘In Praise of Folly’) and edited the works of Saint Jerome, Saint Thomas More, and other early Christian theologians.
Among Erasmus’s original works, Enchiridion Militis Christiani (1503, ‘Manual of the Christian Knight’) stressed ascetic piety as an ideal of Christianity and called for reform of the Church. Erasmus’s rejection of the doctrine of predestination and the scope of papal authority generated much controversy.
Erasmus paved the way for the Reformation with his satires on the Catholic Church, including the Colloquia Familiaria (1518, ‘Colloquies.’) Although his works influenced Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers, Erasmus sought change from within the Catholic Church and disagreed with the course of the Reformation. In De Libero Arbitrio (1524,’ On the Bondage of the Will,’) he clashed openly with Luther.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Desiderius Erasmus
When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Reading, Books
For them it’s out-of-date and outmoded to perform miracles; teaching the people is too like hard work, interpreting the holy scriptures is for schoolmen and praying is a waste of time; to shed tears is weak and womanish, to be needy is degrading; to suffer defeat is a disgrace and hardly fitting for one who scarcely permits the greatest of kings to kiss the toes of his sacred feet; and finally, death is an unattractive prospect, and dying on a cross would be an ignominious end.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Religion
Apothegms are in history, the same as pearls in the sand, or gold in the mine.
—Desiderius Erasmus
What is popularly called fame is nothing but an empty name and a legacy from paganism.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Fame
No one respects a talent that is concealed.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Talent
Whether a party can have much success without a woman present I must ask others to decide, but one thing is certain, no party is any fun unless seasoned with folly.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Parties
In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Perception, Blessings
Great eagerness in the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, or honor, cannot exist without sin.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Enthusiasm
Concealed talent brings no reputation.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Reputation, Talent
The nearer people approach old age the closer they return to a semblance of childhood, until the time comes for them to depart this life, again like children, neither tired of living nor aware of death.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Age
The entire world is my temple, and a very fine one too, if I’m not mistaken, and I’ll never lack priests to serve it as long as there are men.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Foolishness, Fools
Human affairs are so obscure and various that nothing can be clearly known.
—Desiderius Erasmus
The fox has many tricks. The hedgehog has but one. But that is the best of all.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Ability
Your library is your paradise.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Libraries, Paradise
Fools are without number.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Foolishness, Fools
What difference is there, do you think, between those in Plato’s cave who can only marvel at the shadows and images of various objects, provided they are content and don’t know what they miss, and the philosopher who has emerged from the cave and sees the real things?
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Illusion
It is useless to gather virtues without humility, for the spirit of the Lord delighteth to dwell in the hearts of the humble.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Humility
Nature, more of a stepmother than a mother in several ways, has sown a seed of evil in the hearts of mortals, especially in the more thoughtful men, which makes them dissatisfied with their own lot and envious of another s.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Evil
Great abundance of riches cannot be gathered and kept by any man without sin.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Wealth
I doubt if a single individual could be found from the whole of mankind free from some form of insanity. The only difference is one of degree. A man who sees a gourd and takes it for his wife is called insane because this happens to very few people.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Insanity
Amongst the learned the lawyers claim first place, the most self-satisfied class of people, as they roll their rock of Sisyphus and string together six hundred laws in the same breath, no matter whether relevant or not, piling up opinion on opinion and gloss on gloss to make their profession seem the most difficult of all. Anything which causes trouble has special merit in their eyes.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Lawyers, Law
Prevention is better than cure.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Medicine
Everyone knows that by far the happiest and universally enjoyable age of man is the first. What is there about babies which makes us hug and kiss and fondle them, so that even an enemy would give them help at that age?
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Babies, Children, Family
Heaven grant that the burden you carry may have as easy an exit as it had an entrance.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Prayer
Ask a wise man to dinner and he’ll upset everyone by his gloomy silence or tiresome questions. Invite him to a dance and you’ll have a camel prancing about. Haul him off to a public entertainment and his face will be enough to spoil the people’s entertainment.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Intellectuals, Intelligence
Experience is the common school-house of fools and ill men.—Men of wit and honesty are otherwise instructed.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Experience
Jupiter, not wanting man’s life to be wholly gloomy and grim, has bestowed far more passion than reason—you could reckon the ration as twenty-four to one. Moreover, he confined reason to a cramped corner of the head and left all the rest of the body to the passions.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Passion
If you keep thinking about what you want to do or what you hope will happen, you don’t do it, and it won’t happen.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Thinking, Action
Man’s mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Deception, Deception/Lying
It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Happiness, Being True to Yourself, Realization, Being Ourselves, Joy, Acceptance, Awareness
If you look at history you’ll find that no state has been so plagued by its rulers as when power has fallen into the hands of some dabbler in philosophy or literary addict.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Books, Literature
He does good to himself who does good to his friend.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Friendship
There is nothing I congratulate myself on more heartily than on never having joined a sect.
—Desiderius Erasmus
This type of man who is devoted to the study of wisdom is always most unlucky in everything, and particularly when it comes to procreating children; I imagine this is because Nature wants to ensure that the evils of wisdom shall not spread further throughout mankind.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Learning
Everybody hates a prodigy, detests an old head on young shoulders.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Genius
Picture the prince, such as most of them are today: a man ignorant of the law, well-nigh an enemy to his people’s advantage, while intent on his personal convenience, a dedicated voluptuary, a hater of learning, freedom and truth, without a thought for the interests of his country, and measuring everything in terms of his own profit and desires.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Kings, Queens, Royalty
Nothing is so foolish, they say, as for a man to stand for office and woo the crowd to win its vote, buy its support with presents, court the applause of all those fools and feel self-satisfied when they cry their approval, and then in his hour of triumph to be carried round like an effigy for the public to stare at, and end up cast in bronze to stand in the market place.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Politics
As Plato entertained some friends in a room where there was a couch richly ornamented, Diogenes came in very dirty, as usual, and getting upon the couch, and trampling on it, said, “I trample upon the pride of Plato.” Plato mildly answered, “But with greater pride, Diogenes!”
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Pride
By a Carpenter mankind was made, and only by that Carpenter can mankind be remade.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Religion, Christianity
You’ll see certain Pythagorean whose belief in communism of property goes to such lengths that they pick up anything lying about unguarded, and make off with it without a qualm of conscience as if it had come to them by law.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Communism, Socialism
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