"There are no habits of man more alien to the doctrine of the Communist than those of the collector"

Augustine Birrell Politics See all quotes by Augustine Birrell →

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“Oh, those scoundrelly Charity Commissioners! By the side of these anthropoid apes, the genuine bookworm, the paper-eating insect, ravenous as he once was, has done comparatively little mischief.”

“A great library easily begets affection, which may deepen into love.”

“It is pleasant to be admitted into the birth-chamber of a great idea destined to be translated into action.”

“There were no books in Eden, and there will be none in heaven;”

“It can never be wrong to give pleasure.”

“Personally, I am dead against the burning of books.”

Resonant Thoughts

"In hearing of these different possibilities, people sometimes exclaim rashly that there could of course be no thought in a Master’s mind of choosing any but that course which most helps humanity - a r…"

— Charles Webster Leadbeater

occultism1854–1934

#Human Nature

"The theologians depend on assertions. They have no evidence. They claim that their inspired book is superior to reason and independent of evidence. They talk about probability—analogy—inferences—but t…"

— Robert G. Ingersoll

Law1833–1899

#truth

"The dynamics of the city. His mother had been scared of cities. It had been part of his education. She had told him cities are dangerous places. They're full of tough, scary guys. He was a tough boy h…"

— Lee Child

Literature1954

#knowledge

"Now, let there be an indefinite succession of these inferential acts of comparative perception; and it is plain that the last moment will contain objectively the whole series. Let there be, not merely…"

— Charles Sanders Peirce

Mathematics1839–1914

#time