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
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
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
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
A nail is driven out by another nail; habit is overcome by habit.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Habit, Habits, Unhappiness
The more ignorant, reckless and thoughtless a doctor is, the higher his reputation soars even amongst powerful princes.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Doctors, Medicine
Nothing is as peevish and pedantic as men’s judgments of one another.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Criticism, Critics
In short, no association or alliance can be happy or stable without me. People can’t long tolerate a ruler, nor can a master his servant, a maid her mistress, a teacher his pupil, a friend his friend nor a wife her husband, a landlord his tenant, a soldier his comrade nor a party-goer his companion, unless they sometimes have illusions about each other, make use of flattery, and have the sense to turn a blind eye and sweeten life for themselves with the honey of folly.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Fools, Foolishness
They take unbelievable pleasure in the hideous blast of the hunting horn and baying of the hounds. Dogs dung smells sweet as cinnamon to them.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Hunting
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: Literature, Books
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
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: Queens, Royalty, Kings
Great eagerness in the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, or honor, cannot exist without sin.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Enthusiasm
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
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
Great abundance of riches cannot be gathered and kept by any man without sin.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Wealth
He does good to himself who does good to his friend.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Friendship
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
Love that has nothing but beauty to keep it in good health, is short-lived, and apt to have ague-fits.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Love
Human affairs are so obscure and various that nothing can be clearly known.
—Desiderius Erasmus
It’s the generally accepted privilege of theologians to stretch the heavens, that is the Scriptures, like tanners with a hide.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Religion
This I always religiously observed, as a rule, says one, never to chide my husband before company, nor to prattle abroad of miscarriages at home. What passes between two people is much easier made up than when once it has taken air.
—Desiderius Erasmus
In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Perception, Blessings
Apothegms are in history, the same as pearls in the sand, or gold in the mine.
—Desiderius Erasmus
When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Books, Reading
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: Action, Thinking
He who allows oppression shares the crime.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Oppression
What is popularly called fame is nothing but an empty name and a legacy from paganism.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Fame
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
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
Heaven grant that the burden you carry may have as easy an exit as it had an entrance.
—Desiderius Erasmus
Topics: Prayer
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