Desiderius Erasmus

"The true knowledge of man is in the knowledge of his defects."

"To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates."

"The highest form of prayer is solitude."

"The tongue is a wild beast; once it is let loose, it is difficult to get it back again."

"I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me, whose eyes would signal to mine that we both appreciated the current scene."

"I have been forced into the narrow lanes of commerce, against my better judgment."

"Between two evils, I always pick the one I've never tried before."

"The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the only way to avoid despair."

"In a number of cases disagreement has produced all the advantages of diversity laying out before us the fallacies of an existence lived ignorantly."

"The desire to write grows with writing."

"One cannot live pleasantly without living wisely, virtuously, and justly."

"I wish as well as I can, but I wish in vain for that time when it will be hard to find learned men."

"Wealth is the test of a man's character."

"The mind is not dependent on narrow limits of the body."

"To be everywhere is to be nowhere."

"There is great power in a small act of kindness."

"The chief force of a man's virtue is that it assists us to live well with ourselves."

"Ignorance is the root of misfortune."

"A good conscience is a continual Christmas."

"The greatest wealth is health."

"I have often regretted my speech, never my silence."

"The tongue is placed between the ears and the teeth."

"Not everyone can be a philosopher, but everyone can strive toward virtue."

"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook."

"True friendship requires a sameness of ideals and purposes."

"Men live as if they were going to live forever."

"The power of instruction is often to make men believe that they are virtuous."

"Better to wear out than to rust out."

"In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."

"The private man is not one who renounces society, but one who obeys God."