“Oft has good nature been the fool's defence,
And honest meaning gilded want of sense.”

“Greatest fools are oft most satisfied.”

Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (1636–1711) French poet and critic

“I want to be an honest man and a good writer.”

James Baldwin (1924–1987) (1924-1987) writer from the United States

“Nature never makes blunders; when she makes a fool she means it.”

Josh Billings (1818–1885) American humorist

“The sense of honour is of so fine and delicate a nature, that it is only to be met with in minds which are naturally noble, or in such as have been cultivated by good examples, or a refined education.”

Joseph Addison (1672–1719) politician, writer and playwright

“When someone has been mean to you, why would you want to be good to them?' 'You wouldn't want to. That's what makes it hard. You do it anyway. Being good is hard. Much harder than being bad.”

Jeanne DuPrau The People of Sparks

“A fool with a heart and no sense is just as unhappy as a fool with sense and no heart.”

Fyodor Dostoyevsky book The Idiot

“Honest change? Honest? Has someone altered the definition of the word while my back was turned, or have you recently developed a sense of humor?”

Ellen Kushner book The Privilege of the Sword

“I understand the world through music and I believe that music shapes the universe. Mankind has always had a sense of wonder about space, has always been curious. It's something that's implanted in us. It's natural to want to travel and discover. It is, always has been, and is always going to be like this. We are space.”

Vangelis (1943) Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock, and orchestral music

“It’s better to be sworn to an honest fool than to a lying scholar”

Christopher Paolini book Eldest