“Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful. Stop for a moment and let that sink in. We’re so used to evaluating everything (and everyone) by their usefulness that this thought will take a minute or two to begin to dawn on us. Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful. Which is to say, beauty is in and of itself a great and glorious good, something we need in large and daily doses.”
Source: Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul
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"State Capitalism Comes of Age," http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/64948/ian-bremmer/state-capitalism-comes-of-age Foreign Affairs (May/June 2009).
Source: The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms (1881), Chapter 1: Habits of Worms, p. 49. http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?pageseq=64&itemID=F1357&viewtype=image
“Don't be the ammunition wagon, be the rifle … knowledge exists primarily for use.”
On Becoming a Person (1961)
Source: page 281
“We must stop thinking primarily in terms of “money” and “business””
both artificial things—and begin to think increasingly in terms of the actual resources and products on which “money” and “business” are based. In terms of these, of the human beings to whom they are to be distributed, and of the cognate human values which make the accidents of life and consciousness worth enduring.
"Some Repetitions on the Times", (1933). Reprinted in Miscellaneous Writings, edited by S.T. Joshi. Arkham House, 1995.
Non-Fiction
“Mathematics is primarily a tool for human thought.”
Foreword to Teichmüller Theory
Part 2: Metaphysical Rebellion
The Rebel (1951)
Context: The ancients, even though they believed in destiny, believed primarily in nature, in which they participated wholeheartedly. To rebel against nature amounted to rebelling against oneself. It was butting one's head against a wall.
"The Clash of Civilizations?," in Foreign Affairs (1993)
Context: It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Nation-states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future.
Hayek's Journey: The Mind of Friedrich Hayek (2003)