Man, considered not merely as an organized being, but as a rational agent and a member of society, is perhaps the most wonderfully contrived, and to us the most interesting specimen of Divine wisdom that we have any knowledge of. Richard Whately More Quotes by Richard Whately More Quotes From Richard Whately If all our wishes were gratified, most of our pleasures would be destroyed. Richard Whately pleasurewould-bewish The relief that is afforded to mere want, as want, tends to increase that want. Richard Whately increasereliefwant Vices and frailties correct each other, like acids and alkalies. If each vicious man had but one vice, I do not know how the world could go on. Richard Whately vicesgoes-onmen There is no right faith in believing what is true, unless we believe it because it is true. Richard Whately truthbelieve Superstition is not, as has been defined, an excess of religious feeling, but a misdirection of it, an exhausting of it on vanities of man's devising. Richard Whately vanityreligiousmen The first requisite of style, not only in rhetoric, but in all compositions, is perspicuity. Richard Whately rhetoricstylefirsts The censure of frequent and long parentheses has led writers into the preposterous expedient of leaving out the marks by which they are indicated. It is no cure to a lame man to take away his crutches. Richard Whately leavingmenlong Trust, therefore, for the overcoming of a difficulty, not to long-continued study after you have once become bewildered, but to repeated trials at intervals. Richard Whately trialsovercominglong As one may bring himself to believe almost anything he is inclined to believe, it makes all the difference whether we begin or end with the inquiry, 'What is truth?' Richard Whately differencestruthbelieve The word of knowledge, strictly employed, implies three things: truth, proof, and conviction. Richard Whately convictionthreeunderstanding Falsehood, like poison, will generally be rejected when administered alone; but when blended with wholesome ingredients may be swallowed unperceived. Richard Whately ingredientspoisonmay Fancy, when once brought into religion, knows not where to stop. It is like one of those fiends in old stories which any one could raise, but which, when raised, could never be kept within the magic circle. Richard Whately magiccirclesstories Falsehood, like the dry-rot, flourishes the more in proportion as air and light are excluded. Richard Whately drylightair As the flower is before the fruit, so is faith before good works. Richard Whately fruitflowerfaith A certain class of novels may with propriety be called fables. Richard Whately fablesmayclass Nothing but the right can ever be expedient, since that can never be true expediency which would sacrifice a great good to a less. Richard Whately expediencybeing-truesacrifice The more secure we feel against our liability to any error to which, in fact, we are liable, the greater must be our danger of falling into it. Richard Whately errorsfactsfall Of all hostile feelings, envy is perhaps the hardest to be subdued, because hardly any one owns it even to himself, but looks out for one pretext after another to justify his hostility. Richard Whately envyfeelingslooks Eloquence is relative. One can no more pronounce on the eloquence of any composition than the wholesomeness of a medicine, without knowing for whom it is intended. Richard Whately wholesomenessmedicineknowing knowledge of our duties is the most useful part of philosophy. Richard Whately dutyphilosophy
