In it he proves that all things are true and states how the truths of all contradictions may be reconciled physically, such as for example that white is black and black is white; that one can be and not be at the same time; that there can be hills without valleys; that nothingness is something and that everything, which is, is not. But take note that he proves all these unheard-of paradoxes without any fallacious or sophistical reasoning.
—Cyrano de Bergerac (1619–55) French Soldier, Duelist, Writer
If this is philosophy it is at any rate a philosophy that is not in its right mind.
—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–99) German Philosopher, Physicist
Art requires philosophy, just as philosophy requires art. Otherwise, what would become of beauty?
—Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) French Post-Impressionist Painter
All philosophies, if you ride them home, are nonsense, but some are greater nonsense than others.
—Samuel Butler
Englishmen are babes in philosophy and so prefer faction-fighting to the labor of its unfamiliar thought.
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) Irish Poet, Dramatist
Tell me what gives a man or woman their greatest pleasure and I’ll tell you their philosophy of life.
—Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American Self-Help Author
The usual picture of Socrates is of an ugly little plebeian who inspired a handsome young nobleman to write long dialogues on large topics.
—Richard Rorty (1931–2007) American Philosopher
I have always taken as the standard of the mode of teaching and writing, not the abstract, particular, professional philosopher, but universal man, that I have regarded man as the criterion of truth, and not this or that founder of a system, and have from the first placed the highest excellence of the philosopher in this, that he abstains, both as a man and as an author, from the ostentation of philosophy, i.e., that he is a philosopher only in reality, not formally, that he is a quiet philosopher, not a loud and still less a brawling one.
—Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach (1804–72) German Materialist Philosopher
Every philosophy is the philosophy of some stage of life.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
Unintelligible answers to insoluble problems.
—Henry Adams (1838–1918) American Historian, Man of Letters
To be a real philosopher all that is necessary is to hate some one else’s type of thinking.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
The traditional disputes of philosophers are, for the most part, as unwarranted as they are unfruitful.
—A. J. Ayer (1910–89) English Philosopher
Perhaps it is of more value to infuriate philosophers than to go along with them.
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955) American Poet
Bad philosophers may have a certain influence; good philosophers, never.
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
A new philosophy generally means in practice the praise of some old vice.
—G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) English Journalist, Novelist, Essayist, Poet
Keep quiet and people will think you a philosopher.
—Unknown
To have no time for philosophy is to be a true philosopher.
—Blaise Pascal (1623–62) French Mathematician, Physicist, Theologian
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.
—Thomas Aquinas (1225–74) Italian Catholic Priest, Philosopher, Theologian
There was never yet philosopher that could endure the toothache patiently, however they have writ the style of gods, and made a pish at chance and sufferance.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
A writer must always try to have a philosophy and he should also have a psychology and a philology and many other things. Without a philosophy and a psychology and all these various other things he is not really worthy of being called a writer. I agree with Kant and Schopenhauer and Plato and Spinoza and that is quite enough to be called a philosophy. But then of course a philosophy is not the same thing as a style.
—Gertrude Stein (1874–1946) American Writer
The ultimate triumph of philosophy would be to cast light upon the mysterious ways in which Providence moves to achieve the designs it has for man.
—Marquis de Sade (1740–1814) French Writer
Of what use is a philosopher who doesn’t hurt anybody’s feelings?
—Diogenes Laertius (f.3rd Century CE) Biographer of the Greek Philosophers
Apart from the known and the unknown, what else is there?
—Harold Pinter (1930–2008) British Playwright
Bishop Berkeley destroyed this world in one volume octavo; and nothing remained, after his time, but mind; which experienced a similar fate from the hand of Mr. Hume in 1737.
—Sydney Smith (1771–1845) English Clergyman, Essayist, Wit
The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has killed a great many philosophers.
—Denis Diderot (1713–84) French Philosopher, Writer
We are much beholden to Machiavelli and others, that write what men do, and not what they ought to do.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
Philosophers should consider the fact that the greatest happiness principle can easily be made an excuse for a benevolent dictatorship. We should replace it by a more modest and more realistic principle—the principle that the fight against avoidable misery should be a recognized aim of public policy, while the increase of happiness should be left, in the main, to private initiative.
—Karl Popper (1902–94) Austrian-born British Philosopher
Every philosophy is tinged with the coloring of some secret imaginative background, which never emerges explicitly into its train of reasoning.
—Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) English Mathematician, Philosopher
And new Philosophy calls all in doubt, the element of fire is quite put out; the Sun is lost, and the earth, and no mans wit can well direct him where to look for it.
—John Donne (1572–1631) English Poet, Cleric
Philosophy is the product of wonder.
—Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) English Mathematician, Philosopher
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