Sublime

It would have suggested many things to a philosopher to have dealings with him. To a stranger he appeared to know nothing of things in general; yet I sometimes saw in him a man whom I had not seen before, and I did not know whether he was as wise as Shakespeare or as simply ignorant as a child, whether to suspect him of a fine poetic consciousness

You will not offend me, you know,’ said Mr Farebrother, quite unaffectedly. ‘I don’t translate my own convenience into other people’s duties. I am opposed to Bulstrode in many ways. I don’t like the set he belongs to: they are a narrow ignorant set, and do more to make their neighbours uncomfortable than to make them better. Their system is a sort

high and generous characters are now to be met with, whose opinions are at variance with their inclinations, and who praise that servility which they have themselves never known.

"Contented poverty is an honourable estate."

Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.

Ce qui fera la gloire d'Érasme, vaincu dans le domaine des faits, ce sera d'avoir frayé littérairement la voie à l'idée humanitaire, à cette idée très simple et en même temps éternelle que le devoir suprême de l'humanité est de devenir toujours plus humaine, toujours plus spirituelle, toujours plus compréhensive. Son disciple Montaigne, pour qui

“La vraie liberté, c’est d’avoir le droit de se tromper.” - Jacques Brel

En somme, certainement les sages de tous les temps ont toujours dit la même chose, et les sots, c’est-à-dire l’incommensurable majorité de tous les temps, ont toujours fait la même chose, savoir le contraire, et il en sera toujours ainsi. Aussi Voltaire dit-il : Nous laisserons ce monde-ci aussi sot et aussi méchant que nous l’avons trouvé en y