“A mind that has confronted ruin for years
Is half or more a ruined mind.”

Pt. III, line 2387.
The Hind and the Panther (1687)

In CBC Newss "At Issue", Oct 1, 2009 edition.
On a French philosopher's defense of Roman Polanski, following the later's arrest in Switzerland and extradition to the US.

Source: Gargantua and Pantagruel (1532–1564), Pantagruel (1532), Chapter 8 <!-- Thy father Gargantua. From Utopia the 17th day of the month of March. -->
Variant translation: Wisdom entereth not into a malicious mind, and science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.
Original: Science sans conscience n'est que ruine de l'âme.
Context: But because, as the wise man Solomon saith, Wisdom entereth not into a malicious mind, and that knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul, it behoveth thee to serve, to love, to fear God, and on him to cast all thy thoughts and all thy hope, and by faith formed in charity to cleave unto him, so that thou mayst never be separated from him by thy sins. Suspect the abuses of the world. Set not thy heart upon vanity, for this life is transitory, but the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. Be serviceable to all thy neighbours, and love them as thyself. Reverence thy preceptors: shun the conversation of those whom thou desirest not to resemble, and receive not in vain the graces which God hath bestowed upon thee.

Song lyrics, Bringing It All Back Home (1965), Mr. Tambourine Man

Yoga For People Who Can't Be Bothered To Do It (1993)
Context: Ruins—antique ruins at least—are what is left when history has moved on. They are no longer at the mercy of history, only of time. (p. 207).

Source: Red: The Heroic Rescue

Institutes of the Christian Religion, edited by John T. McNeill p. 174
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)

Context: It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.