“There is no beauty in anything rational. Beauty emerges from the unknown, often from the inane, generally irrational, as unforseen combinations.”

Book IV, Ch. 18
An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689)

Source: Red Mars (1992), Chapter 2, “The Voyage Out” (p. 85)

Source: The Consolations of Philosophy (2000), Chapter VI, Consolation For Difficulties, p. 228.
Context: To cut out every negative root would simultaneously mean choking off positive elements that might arise from it further up the stem of the plant.
We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.

Reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 115.

A Grief Observed (1961)
Context: But perhaps I lack the gift. I see I've described her as being like a sword. That's true as far as it goes. But utterly inadequate by itself, and misleading. I ought to have said 'But also like a garden. Like a nest of gardens, wall within wall, hedge within hedge, more secret, more full of fragrant and fertile life, the further you explore.'
And then, of her, and every created thing I praise, I should say 'in some way, in its unique way, like Him who made it.'
Thus up from the garden to the Gardener, from the sword to the Smith. to the life-giving Life and the Beauty that makes beautiful.

Variant translation: To a reasonable creature, that alone is insupportable which is unreasonable; but everything reasonable may be supported.
Book I, ch. 2.
Discourses

Source: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Manuscript Found in Accra (2012), About Elegance