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Iain Pears

" He (William Cort) had some desire to be successful, but it did not burn so strongly in him that he was prepared to overcome his character to achieve it. "

Ambition , Successful , Character

related quotes

" The simple fact that something has not been done, is no proof that it cannot be. "

simple , Done , Facts

" Do you know, the only people I can have a conversation with are the Jews? At least when they quote scripture at you they are not merely repeating something some priest has babbled in their ear. They have the great merit of disagreeing with nearly everything I say. In fact, they disagree with almost everything they say themselves. And most importantly, they don't think that shouting strengthens their argument. "

People , Thinking , Ears

" Virtue comes through contemplation of the divine, and the exercise of philosophy. But it also comes through public service. The one is incomplete without the other. Power without wisdom is tyranny; wisdom without power is pointless. "

Virtue , Philosophy , Exercise

" In my small way, I preserved and catalogued, and dipped into the vast ocean of learning that awaited, knowing all the time that the life of one man was insufficient for even the smallest part of the wonders that lay within. It is cruel that we are granted the desire to know, but denied the time to do so properly. We all die frustrated; it is the greatest lesson we have to learn. "

Men , Ocean , Knowing

" When all this is over, people will try to blame the Germans alone, and the Germans will try to blame the Nazis alone, and the Nazis will try to blame Hitler alone. They will make him bear the sins of the world. But it's not true. You suspected what was happening, and so did I. It was already too late over a year ago. I caused a reporter to lose his job because you told me to. He was deported. The day I did that I made my little contribution to civilization, the only one that matters. "

Civilization , Jobs , Years

" The point of civilization is to be civilized; the purpose of action is to perpetuate society, for only in society can philosophy truly take place. "

Civilization , Purpose , Philosophy

" The evil done by men of goodwill is the worst of all ... We have done terrible things, for the best of reasons, and that makes it worse. "

Men , Evil , Done

" For the first time, she did want more. She did not know what she wanted, knew that it was dangerous and that she should rest content with what she had, but she knew an emptiness deep inside her, which began to ache. "

Want , Firsts , Contentment

" Was not Hypatia the greatest philosopher of Alexandria, and a true martyr to the old values of learning? She was torn to pieces by a mob of incensed Christians not because she was a woman, but because her learning was so profound, her skills at dialectic so extensive that she reduced all who queried her to embarrassed silence. They could not argue with her, so they murdered her. "

Christian , Skills

" Every cataclysm is welcomed by somebody; there is always someone to rejoice at disaster and see in it the prospect of a new beginning and a better world. "

World , Disaster , New

" And a more foolish notion can scarcely be imagined, it being obvious that the reader is only informed of what the writer wishes him to know, and is thus seduced into believing almost anything. "

Believe , Wish , Foolish

" For what are we but our past? If that is lost, we become nothing. "

Past , Our , Lost

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