"Syllables govern the world."

John Selden Mathematics See all quotes by John Selden →

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More by John Selden

“Of all actions of a man's life his marriage does least concern other people, yet of all actions of our life 'tis most meddled with by other people.”

“Old friends are best. King James used to call for his old shoes; they were easiest for his feet.”

“The House of Commons is called the Lower House, in twenty Acts of Parliament; but what are twenty Acts of Parliament amongst Friends?”

“Wit and wisdom are born with a man.”

“No man is the wiser for his learning.”

“Philosophy is nothing but discretion.”

Resonant Thoughts

"I believe that we face incredible obstacles in our attempts to see the world. Everything in our nature tries to deny the world around us; to refabricate it in our own image; to reinvent it for our own…"

— Errol Morris

Literature1948

#nature

"If you’ll forgive me, sir, physics is not politics. You can’t make things happen by trying harder."

— Jack McDevitt

Literature1935

#politics

"It is by self-reliance, humanly speaking, by the independence which has been the motive and impelling force of our race, that the Scots have thriven in India and in Canada, in Australia and New Zealan…"

— Archibald Primrose

1809–1851

#history