Quotes about most
page 40
“I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anybody could ever want.”
“Chastity—the most unnatural of all the sexual perversions, he added parenthetically, out of.”
Source: Eyeless in Gaza
“You are a lucky lady to be marrying a man who can fix things. Most husbands just break things.”
Source: Morality for Beautiful Girls
Source: Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
Source: The Lay of the Land
Tous les changements, même les plus souhaités ont leur mélancolie, car ce que nous quittons, c'est une partie de nous-mêmes; il faut mourir à une vie pour entrer dans une autre.
Pt. II, ch. 4
The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard (1881)
“Those who are most moral are farthest from the problem.”
Source: Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals
“To be left alone is the most precious thing one can ask of the modern world.”
"The Ball is Free to Roll"
Non-Fiction, Homage to QWERT YUIOP: Selected Journalism 1978-1985 (1986)
Source: Homage To Qwert Yuiop: Essays
Source: Justice as Fairness: A Restatement
“Well, you certainly are the most wonderfully woolly baa-lamb that ever stepped.”
Source: The Code of the Woosters
“What appeals to you the most is the very thing that will drive you crazy”
Source: Love the One You're With
Source: The Devil and Miss Prym
“Men do, I've found, accept the most errant nonsense from a well dressed woman”
Source: Justice Hall
Source: Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller - Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century
Variant translations: The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. He who knows it not and can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. It was the experience of mystery — even if mixed with fear — that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which are only accessible to our reason in their most elementary forms — it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man.
The finest emotion of which we are capable is the mystic emotion. Herein lies the germ of all art and all true science. Anyone to whom this feeling is alien, who is no longer capable of wonderment and lives in a state of fear is a dead man. To know that what is impenetrable for us really exists and manifests itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, whose gross forms alone are intelligible to our poor faculties — this knowledge, this feeling … that is the core of the true religious sentiment. In this sense, and in this sense alone, I rank myself among profoundly religious men.
As quoted in After Einstein : Proceedings of the Einstein Centennial Celebration (1981) by Peter Barker and Cecil G. Shugart, p. 179
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.
As quoted in Introduction to Philosophy (1935) by George Thomas White Patrick and Frank Miller Chapman, p. 44
The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is something that our minds cannot grasp, whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly: this is religiousness. In this sense, and in this sense only, I am a devoutly religious man."
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.
1930s, Mein Weltbild (My World-view) (1931)
Context: The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery — even if mixed with fear — that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man.
“The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.”
The New Yorker (12 September 1970).
Source: The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time
“One can be absolutely truthful and sincere even though admittedly the most outrageous liar.”
Source: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), Ch. XVI : The Warning of Experience; Mrs. Maxwell to Helen
Context: Beauty is that quality which, next to money, is generally the most attractive to the worst kinds of men; and, therefore, it is likely to entail a great deal of trouble on the possessor.
“The most attractive quality of all is dignity.”
Source: Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl—A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship
As quoted in The Golden Ratio (2002) by Mario Livio
Source: The Lost Hero
“Sometimes,' said Pooh, 'the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”
Variant: Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in our hearts.
Source: This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike.
“It is most unlikely. But--here comes the big "but"--not impossible.”
Source: The Witches
Source: Shutter Island
Source: Golden: A Retelling of Rapunzel
“… the most common cause of death among alpha males was ego.”
Source: The Lion
Source: Murder on the Orient Express
Source: The Princess Bride
Source: Hunt the Moon
Source: Innocence
Noam Chomsky interviewed by Zeit Campus;
Quotes 2010s, 2011
Context: [ZEIT Campus: You often say you are an anarchist. What do you mean by that? ] Chomsky: Students should challenge authorities and join a long anarchist tradition. [ZEIT Campus: “Challenge authorities” – a liberal or a moderate leftist could accept that invitation. ] Chomsky: As soon as one identifies, challenges and overcomes illegitimate power, he or she is an anarchist. Most people are anarchists. What they call themselves doesn’t matter to me. [ZEIT Campus: Who or what must challenge today’s student generation? ] Chomsky: This world is full of suffering, distress, violence and catastrophes. Students must decide: does something concern you or not? I say: look around, analyze the problems, ask yourself what you can do and set out on the work!
Source: Heart of Darkness
“The most important thing for a young man is to establish a credit — a reputation, character.”
The Men Who Are Making America (1918) by Bertie Charles Forbes
“Raised by two mothers… wow, most of us barely survive one”
“… most of the time, all you have is the moment, and the imperfect love of the people around you.”
Source: Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith
“CHOOSING WELL IS DIFFICULT, AND MOST DECISIONS HAVE SEVERAL different dimensions.”
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less
“Blushing is the most peculiar and most human of all expressions.”
Source: The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals
“My principal sin is doubt. I doubt everything, and am in doubt most of the time.”
Source: Anna Karenina Notes
Source: The Lightning Thief
Source: The Art of Maurice Sendak: 1980 to Present
“I may not be the most likable person in the world, but I try not to upset people.”
Source: Dance Dance Dance
Source: Winter Moon
Source: Civilization and Its Discontents
“Most people go through life using up half their energy trying to protect a dignity they never had”