All knowledge is interesting to a wise man, and the knowledge of nature is interesting to all men. Matthew Arnold More Quotes by Matthew Arnold More Quotes From Matthew Arnold Genius is mainly an affair of energy, and poetry is mainly an affair of genius; therefore a nation whose spirit is characterized by energy may well be imminent in poetry - and we have Shakespeare. Matthew Arnold genius energy may Time may restore us in his course Goethe's sage mind and Byron's force: But where will Europe's latter hour Again find Wordsworth's healing power? Matthew Arnold healing time europe And see all sights from pole to pole, And glance, and nod, and hustle by; And never once possess our soul Before we die. Matthew Arnold hustle soul sight For science, God is simply the stream of tendency by which all things seek to fulfill the law of their being. Matthew Arnold god law science Sad Patience, too near neighbour to despair. Matthew Arnold neighbour despair patience The strongest part of a religion today is its unconscious poetry Matthew Arnold unconscious strongest today We do not what we ought; What we ought not, we do; And lean upon the thought That chance will bring us through; But our own acts, for good or ill, are mightier powers. Matthew Arnold ought chance ill Waiting for the spark from heaven to fall. Matthew Arnold waiting heaven fall Nature, with equal mind, Sees all her sons at play, Sees man control the wind, The wind sweep man away. Matthew Arnold wind men son Nature's great law, and the law of all men's minds? To its own impulse every creature stirs: Live by thy light, and Earth will live by hers. Matthew Arnold light men art The will is free; Strong is the soul, and wise, and beautiful; The seeds of godlike power are in us still; Gods are we, bards, saints, heroes, if we will! Matthew Arnold strong wise beautiful The "hairy quadruped furnished with a tail and, pointed ears, probably arboreal in his habits," this good fellow carried hidden in his nature, apparently, something destined to develop into a necessity for humane letters. Matthew Arnold letters tails science Cruel, but composed and bland, Matthew Arnold cat dumb might The love of science, and the energy and honesty in the pursuit of science, in the best of the Aryan races do seem to correspond in a remarkable way to the love of conduct, and the energy and honesty in the pursuit of conduct, in the best of the Semitic. Matthew Arnold honesty men science What is it to grow old? Is it to lose the glory of the form, The lustre of the eye? Is it for Beauty to forego her wreath? Yes; but not this alone. Matthew Arnold wreaths eye age And thou, who didst the stars and sunbeams know, / Self-schooled, self-scanned, self-honoured, self-secure / Didst tread on earth unguessed at. Better so!. Matthew Arnold stars earth self One thing only has been lent to youth and age in common--discontent. Matthew Arnold youth age common The Greek word euphuia, a finely tempered nature, gives exactly the notion of perfection as culture brings us to perceive it; a harmonious perfection, a perfection in which the characters of beauty and intelligence are both present, which unites "the two noblest of things" - as Swift most happily calls them in his Battle of the Books, "the two noblest of things, sweetness and light." Matthew Arnold light character book Children of men! the unseen Power, whose eye Forever doth accompany mankind, Hath look'd on no religion scornfully That men did ever find. Matthew Arnold eye religious children If Paris that brief flight allow, My humble tomb explore! It bears: Eternity, be thou My refuge! and no more. Matthew Arnold paris humble bears