Many people make their own God; and he is much what the French may mean when they talk of le bon Dieu,--very indulgent, rather weak, near at hand when we want anything, but far away out of sight when we have a mind to do wrong. Such a God is as much an idol as if he were an image of stone.

Julius Charles Hare

Categorized in : Hands Mean Sight

Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.

Julius Charles Hare

being-yourself inspiration inspiring

Children always turn towards the light. Oh that grown-up people in this world became like little children!

Julius Charles Hare

light children people

The next best thing to a very good joke is a very bad one.

Julius Charles Hare

best-things very-good next

A weak mind sinks under prosperity, as well as under adversity.

Julius Charles Hare

prosperity adversity mind

Everybody has his own theatre, in which he is manager, actor, prompter, playwright, sceneshifter, boxkeeper, doorkeeper, all in one, and audience into the bargain.

Julius Charles Hare

psychology theater actors

To no kind of begging are people so averse, as to begging pardon; that is, when there is any serious ground for doing so.

Julius Charles Hare

serious kind people

Few people have courage enough to appear as good as they really are. Most people confuse greatness with power, despite the fact that greatness has nothing to do with power.

Julius Charles Hare

greatness facts people

The mind is like a sheet of white paper in this, that the impressions it receives the oftenest, and retains the longest, are black ones.

Julius Charles Hare

black white mind

If your divines are not philosophers, your philosophy will neither be divine, nor able to divine.

Julius Charles Hare

philosopher able philosophy

The business of philosophy is to circumnavigate human nature.

Julius Charles Hare

human-nature humans philosophy

What a pity it is that there are so many words! Whenever one wants to say anything, three or four ways of saying it run into one's head together; and one can't tell which to choose. It is as troublesome and puzzling as choosing a ribbon ... or a husband.

Julius Charles Hare

husband together running

By the ancients, courage was regarded as practically the main part of virtue; by us, though I hope we are not less brave, purity is so regarded now.

Julius Charles Hare

virtue purity brave

Knowledge is the parent of love; wisdom, love itself.

Julius Charles Hare

intelligence parent wisdom

True goodness is like the glow-worm in this, that it shines most when no eyes except those of heaven are upon it.

Julius Charles Hare

shining eye heaven

The virtue of Christianity is obedience.

Julius Charles Hare

obedience virtue christianity

The greatest truths are the simplest, and so are the greatest men.

Julius Charles Hare

truths greatest simplest men