Herbert Spencer

"Blessed is the man who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness."

"The wise adapt themselves to circumstances as water molds itself to the shape of a pitcher."

"Patriotism is an extension of the domestic virtue of family loyalty."

"To be a good man means to be able to stand alone."

"The social organism is like the individual organism, growing and becoming complex."

"Life is only for two things: discovering yourself and helping others discover themselves."

"Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone."

"The man who gathers knowledge and uses it not resembles one who ploughs but never sows."

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness."

"Nature has neither kernel nor shell; it is everything at once."

"Art is the response to the demand for entertainment, for the stimulation of our senses and imagination."

"The extent of one's influence depends on the extent of one's ideas."

"War is an antecedent to civilization; it taught men to cooperate."

"Individuality is the aim of political institutions, and progress occurs through the gradual assertion of individual rights."

"The survival of the fittest implies that those best adapted to their environment will endure."

"Patience is the companion of wisdom."

"The secret of happiness is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less."

"Lack of preparation is the cause of all failure."

"Time is the great physician of the mind."

"All things can be forgiven except the betrayal of trust."

"Fear is not the root of caution; understanding is."

"The greatest truths are sometimes the simplest things."

"Society requires more than mere negative rights; it requires positive commitments to one another."

"Creativity arises from the combination of different ideas into novel configurations."

"Literature should reflect the complexity of human experience."

"The music of a society reveals the character of its people."

"History is the record of human failure as much as human achievement."

"Technology is a tool; it is neither good nor evil in itself."

"Dreams are the rehearsal for reality."

"Imagination is the beginning of creation."