Desiderius Erasmus

"The greatest evil in the world is suffering, and the root cause is selfishness."

"I have always been fond of the quest for truth, wherever it may lead."

"The more you know, the more you realize you know nothing."

"Time is the most precious gift, yet we squander it as if it were worthless."

"War is the business of barbarians, and peace is the art of civilization."

"The mind without curiosity is like a house without windows."

"Praise is the most effective instrument for reforming the character."

"Everything falls by the wayside when a man is afraid."

"The only way to deal with injustice is to cease supporting it."

"Sweet is the lore which nature brings."

"Education is the most powerful weapon for changing the world."

"I would rather be ridiculed than pitied."

"The real object of education is to give children resources that will enable them to shape their own futures."

"In the society of rational beings, the individual finds his greatest happiness."

"Young men think old men are fools, but old men know young men are fools."

"Who would wish to be eternal in fame rather than in virtue?"

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."

"Better belly burst than good liquor be lost."

"I have a small stepladder, because my real ladder left, but it's a very nice stepladder."

"Whoever is not afraid of death is either reckless or faithful."

"The less luck a man has, the more he believes in it."

"A man is not hurt so much by what happens, as by his opinion of what happens."

"The highest form of courtesy is silence."

"Books are a quieter and more accessible form of magic than any other."

"Persist and persevere, and you will find that most things that are worth doing are worth doing well."

"The greatest blessing after health is a peaceful mind."

"One should as a rule respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to cover one's nakedness."

"By reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself."

"The chief bond of human fellowship is the exchange of kind offices and mutual benefits."

"A man's greatest strength lies in his ability to adapt to change."