Desiderius Erasmus Quotes
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To know nothing is the happiest life.
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From hence, no question, has sprung an observation ... confirmed now into a settled opinion, that some long experienced souls in the world, before their dislodging, arrive to the height of prophetic spirits.
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It is an unscrupulous intellect that does not pay to antiquity its due reverence.
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The more ignorant, reckless and thoughtless a doctor is, the higher his reputation soars even amongst powerful princes.
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Human affairs are so obscure and various that nothing can be clearly known.
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This type of man who is devoted to the study of wisdom is always most unlucky in everything, and particularly when it comes to procreating children; I imagine this is because Nature wants to ensure that the evils of wisdom shall not spread further throughout mankind.
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Only a very few can be learned, but all can be Christian, all can be devout, and – I shall boldly add – all can be theologians.
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So our student will flit like a busy bee through the entire garden of literature, light on every blossom, collect a little nectar from each, and carry it to his hive.
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Out of all those centuries the Greeks can count seven sages at the most, and if anyone looks at them more closely I swear he'll not find so much as a half-wise man or even a third of a wise man among them.
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I am a citizen of the world, known to all and to all a stranger.
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The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war.
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Besides, it happens (how, I cannot tell) that an idea launched like a javelin in proverbial form strikes with sharper point on the hearer's mind and leaves implanted barbs for meditation.
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What difference is there, do you think, between those in Plato's cave who can only marvel at the shadows and images of various objects, provided they are content and don't know what they miss, and the philosopher who has emerged from the cave and sees the real things?
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Bidden or unbidden, God is present.
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Nothing is so foolish, they say, as for a man to stand for office and woo the crowd to win its vote, buy its support with presents, court the applause of all those fools and feel self-satisfied when they cry their approval, and then in his hour of triumph to be carried round like an effigy for the public to stare at, and end up cast in bronze to stand in the market place.
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The main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth
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The chief element of happiness is this: to want to be what you are.
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They may attack me with an army of six hundred syllogisms; and if I do not recant, they will proclaim me a heretic.
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Wherever you encounter truth, look upon it as Christianity.
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Time takes away the grief of men.
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I have turned my entire attention to Greek. The first thing I shall do, as soon as the money arrives, is to buy some Greek authors; after that, I shall buy clothes.
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Dulce bellum inexpertis. - War is lovely for those who know nothing about it.
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War is sweet to those who have not experienced it.
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Of two evils choose the least.
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What passes out of one's mouth passes into a hundred ears. It is a great misfortune not to have sense enough to speak well.
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He who shuns the millstone, shuns the meal.
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Love that has nothing but beauty to keep it in good health is short-lived.
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The opinion formulated by the Church has more value in my eyes than human reasons, whatever they may be.
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Our determination to imitiate Christ should be such that we have no time for other matters.
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The entire world is my temple, and a very fine one too, if I'm not mistaken, and I'll never lack priests to serve it as long as there are men.
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