Discover a wealth of wisdom and insight from John Ruskin through their most impactful and thought-provoking quotes and sayings. Expand your perspective with their inspiring words and share these beautiful John Ruskin quote pictures with your friends and followers on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or your personal blog - all free of charge. We've compiled the top 622 John Ruskin quotes for you to explore and share with others.

God has lent us the earth for our life; it is a great entail. It belongs as much to those who are to come after us, and whose names are already written in the book of creation, as to us; and we have no right, by anything that we do or neglect, to involve them in unnecessary penalties, or deprive them of benefits which it was in our power to bequeath. By John Ruskin God Life Entail Lent Earth

Conceit may puff a man up, but never prop him up. By John Ruskin Conceit Puff Man Prop

I know few Christians so convinced of the splendor of the rooms in their Father's house, as to be happier when their friends are called to those mansions ... Nor has the Church's ardent "desire to depart, and be with Christ," ever cured it of the singular habit of putting on mourning for every person summoned to such departure. By John Ruskin Christians Father House Mansions Convinced

It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. Whenyou pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. When you paytoo little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing youbought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. Thecommon law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting alot - it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is wellto add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you willhave enough to pay for something better. By John Ruskin Pay Unwise Worse Lose Thing

You cannot have good architecture merely by asking people's advice on occasion. All good architecture is the expression of national life and character; and it is produced by a prevalent and eager national taste, or desire for beauty. By John Ruskin Occasion Good Architecture People Advice

I had no companions to quarrel with, nobody to assist, and nobody to thank ... the evil consequence of all this was not, however, what might perhaps have been expected, that I grew up selfish or non affectionate; but that, when affection did come, it came with a violence utterly rampant and unmanageable. By John Ruskin Assist Companions Quarrel Expected Affectionate

There is a certain period of the soul-culture when it begins to interfere with some of characters of typical beauty belonging to the bodily frame, the stirring of the intellect wearing down the flesh, and the moral enthusiasm burning its way out to heaven, through the emaciation of the earthen vessel; and there is, in this indication of subduing the mortal by the immortal part, an ideal glory of perhaps a purer and higher range than that of the more perfect material form. We conceive, I think, more nobly of the weak presence of Paul than of, the fair and ruddy countenance of David. By John Ruskin Frame Flesh Heaven Vessel Part

God gives us always strength enough, and sense enough, for everything He wants us to do. By John Ruskin God Strength Sense

The enormous influence of noveltythe way in which it quickens observations, sharpens sensations, and exalts sentimentis not half enough taken note of by us, and is to me a very sorrowful matter. And yet, if we try to obtain perpetual change, change itself will become monotonous. By John Ruskin Observations Sharpens Sensations Matter Enormous

Fit yourself for the best society, and then, never enter it. By John Ruskin Fit Society Enter

Man's only true happiness is to live in hope of something to be won by him. Reverence something to be worshipped by him, and love something to be cherished by him, forever. By John Ruskin Man True Happiness Live Hope

An architect should live as little in cities as a painter. Send him to our hills, and let him study there what nature understands by a buttress, and what by a dome. By John Ruskin Painter Architect Live Cities Send

There is no music in a "rest" that I know of, but there's the making of music in it. And people are always missing that part of the life melody. By John Ruskin Rest Music Making Melody People

The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it. By John Ruskin Highest Reward Man Toil

No architecture is so haughty as that which is simple. By John Ruskin Simple Architecture Haughty

You must either make a tool of the creature, or a man of him. You cannot make both. Men were not intended to work with the accuracy of tools, to be precise and perfect in all their actions. If you will have that precision out of them, and make their fingers measure degrees like cog-wheels, and their arms strike curves like compasses, you must unhumanize them. All the energy of their spirits must be given to make cogs and compasses of themselves ... .On the other hand, if you will make a man of the working creature, you cannot make him a tool. Let him but begin to imagine, to think, to try to do anything worth doing; and the engine-turned precision is lost at once. Out come all his roughness, all his dulness, all his incapability; shame upon shame, failure upon failure, pause after pause: but out comes the whole majesty of him also; and we know the height of it only when we see the clouds settling upon him. By John Ruskin Make Tool Creature Man Compasses

The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most. By John Ruskin Purest Thoughtful Minds Love Color

The power of painter or poet to describe what he calls an ideal thing depends upon its being to him not an ideal but a real thing. No man ever did or ever will work well but either from actual sight or sight of faith. By John Ruskin Ideal Thing Power Painter Poet

One of the prevailing sources of misery and crime is in the generally accepted assumption, that because things have been wrong a long time, it is impossible they will ever be right. By John Ruskin Assumption Time Prevailing Sources Misery

All the best things and treasures of this world are not to be produced by each generation for itself; but we are all intended, not to carve our work in snow that will melt, but each and all of us to be continually rolling a great white gathering snow-ball, higher and higher, larger and larger, along the Alps of human power. By John Ruskin Alps Higher Larger Intended Melt

Our respect for the dead, when they are just dead, is something wonderful, and the way we show it more wonderful still. We show it with black feathers and black horses; we show it with black dresses and black heraldries; we show it with costly obelisks and sculptures of sorrow, which spoil half of our beautiful cathedrals. We show it with frightful gratings and vaults, and lids of dismal stone, in the midst of the quiet grass; and last, and not least, we show it by permitting ourselves to tell any number of falsehoods we think amiable or credible in the epitaph. By John Ruskin Show Dead Wonderful Black Respect

Better a child should be ignorant of a thousand truths than have consecrated in its heart a single lie. By John Ruskin Lie Child Ignorant Thousand Truths

I do not mean to call an elephant a vulgar animal, but if you think about him carefully, you will find that his nonvulgarity consists in such gentleness as is possible to elephantine nature-not in his insensitive hide, nor in his clumsy foot, but in the way he will lift his foot if a child lies in his way; and in his sensitive trunk, and still more sensitive mind, and capability of pique on points of honor. By John Ruskin Foot Sensitive Animal Carefully Hide

We are, after all, only trustees of the wealth we possess. Without the community and its resources ... there would be little wealth for anyone. By John Ruskin Possess Trustees Wealth Resources Community

Our large trading cities bear to me very nearly the aspect of monastic establishments in which the roar of the mill-wheel and the crane takes the place of other devotional music, and in which the worship of Mammon and Moloch is conducted with a tender reverence and an exact propriety; the merchant rising to his Mammon matins, with the self-denial of an anchorite, and expiating the frivolities into which he maybe beguiled in the course of the day by late attendance at Mammon vespers. By John Ruskin Mammon Moloch Music Propriety Matins

But if you can fix some conception of a true human state of life to be striven for - life, good for all men, as for yourselves; if you can determine some honest and simple order of existence; following those trodden ways of wisdom, which are pleasantness, and seeking her quiet and withdrawn paths, which are peace; - then, and so sanctifying wealth into 'commonwealth,' all your art, your literature, your daily labours, your domestic affection, and citizen's duty, will join and increase into one magnificent harmony. You will know then how to build, well enough; you will build with stone well, but with flesh better; temples not made with hands, but riveted of hearts; and that kind of marble, crimson-veined, is indeed eternal. By John Ruskin Life Commonwealth Good Men Existence

How false is the conception, how frantic the pursuit, of that treacherous phantom which men call Liberty: most treacherous, indeed, of all phantoms; for the feeblest ray of reason might surely show us, that not only its attainment, but its being, was impossible ... There is no such thing in the universe. There can never be. The stars have it not; the earth has it not; the sea has it not; and we men have the mockery and semblance of it only for our heaviest punishment. By John Ruskin Liberty Treacherous Conception Pursuit Attainment

I believe that the first test of a great man is his humility. I don't mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful. By John Ruskin Humility Test Great Man Doubt

The more readily we admit the possibility of our own cherished convictions being mixed with error, the more vital and helpful whatever is right in them will become; and no error is so conclusively fatal as the idea that God will not allow us to err, though He has allowed all other men to do so. By John Ruskin God Error Err Readily Admit

You cannot hammer a girl into anything. She grows as a flower does, she will wither without sun; she will decay in her sheath as a narcissus will if you do not give her air enough; she might fall and defile her head in dust if you leave her without help at some moments in her life; but you cannot fetter her; she must take her own fair form and way if she take any. By John Ruskin Hammer Girl Sun Life Grows

For as in nothing is a gentleman better to be discerned from a vulgar person, so in nothing is a gentle nation (such nations have been) better to be discerned from a mob, than in this, - that their feelings are constant and just, results of due contemplation, and of equal thought. You can talk a mob into anything; its feelings may be - usually are - on a whole, generous and right; but it has no foundation for them, no hold of them; you may tease or tickle it into any, at your pleasure; it thinks by infection, for the most part, catching an opinion like a cold, and there is nothing so little that it will not roar itself wild about, when the fit is on; nothing so great but it will forget in an hour, when the fit is past. By John Ruskin Discerned Mob Person Results Contemplation

What right have you to take the word wealth, which originally meant 'well-being,' and degrade and narrow it by confining it to certain sorts of material objects measured by money. By John Ruskin Wellbeing Wealth Meant Money Word

Let every dawn of the morning be to you as the beginning of life. And let every setting of the sun be to you as its close. Then let everyone of these short lives leave its sure record of some kindly thing done for others; some good strength of knowledge gained for yourself. By John Ruskin Life Dawn Morning Beginning Close

Without mountains the air could not be purified, nor the flowing of the rivers sustained. By John Ruskin Purified Sustained Mountains Air Flowing

And now come with me, for I have kept you too long from your gondola: come with me, on an autumnal morning, to a low wharf or quay at the extremity of a canal, with long steps on each side down to the water, which latter we fancy for an instant has become black with stagnation; another glance undeceives us, it is covered with the black boats of Venice. We enter one of them, rather to try if they be real boats or not, than with any definite purpose, and glide away; at first feeling as if the water were yielding continually beneath the boat and letting her sink into soft vacancy. By John Ruskin Venice Long Black Water Gondola

One of the major obstacles impeding any positive future change in our lives is that we are too busy with our current work or activity. Levi quit his tax-work, Peter stopped fishing at lake, Paul ceased being a priest. They all left their jobs because they thought it was necessary. By John Ruskin Activity Peter Paul Major Obstacles

Give me some mud off a city crossing, some ochre out of a gravel pit and a little whitening and some coal dust and I will paint you a luminous picture if you give me time to gradate my mud and subdue my dust. By John Ruskin Give Mud Dust Crossing City

When men are rightly occupied, their amusement grows out of their work, as the colour-petals out of a fruitful flower; when they are faithfully helpful and compassionate, all their emotions become steady, deep, perpetual, and vivifying to the soul as the natural pulse to the body. But now, having no true business, we pour our whole masculine energy into the false business of money-making; and having no true emotion, we must have false emotions dressed up for us to play with, not innocently, as children with dolls, but guiltily and darkly. By John Ruskin Deep Perpetual Occupied Work Flower

No one can do me any good by loving me; I have more love than I need or could do any good with; but people do me good by making me love them - which isn't easy. By John Ruskin Good Love Easy Loving People

Borrowers are nearly always ill-spenders, and it is with lent money that all evil is mainly done and all unjust war protracted. By John Ruskin Borrowers Illspenders Protracted Lent Money

Wherever men are noble, they love bright colour; and wherever they can live healthily, bright colour is given them - in sky, sea, flowers, and living creatures. By John Ruskin Sea Flowers Bright Colour Noble

What is in reality cowardice and faithlessness, we call charity, and consider it the part of benevolence sometimes to forgive men's evil practice for the sake of their accurate faith, and sometimes to forgive their confessed heresy for the sake of their admirable practice. By John Ruskin Sake Forgive Practice Faithlessness Charity

It was stated, ... that the value of architecture depended on two distinct characters:the one, the impression it receives from human power; the other, the image it bears of the natural creation. By John Ruskin Stated Characters Power Creation Architecture

To be content in utter darkness and ignorance is indeed unmanly, and therefore we think that to love light and find knowledge must always be right. Yet wherever pride has any share in the work, even knowledge and light may be ill pursued. Knowledge is good, and light is good: yet man perished in seeking knowledge, and moths perish in seeking light; and if we, who are crushed before the moth, will not accept such mystery as is needful to us, we shall perish in like manner. By John Ruskin Light Knowledge Unmanly Content Utter

It is strange that of all the pieces of the Bible which my mother taught me, that which cost me the most to learn, and which was to my childish mind the most repulsive - Psalm 119 - has now become of all the most precious to me in its overflowing and glorious passion of love for the Law of God. By John Ruskin Psalm God Bible Law Learn

My entire delight was in observing without being myself noticed,- if I could have been invisible, all the better ... to be in the midst of it, and rejoice and wonder at it, and help it if I could, - happier if it needed no help of mine, - this was the essential love of Nature in me, this the root of all that I have usefully become, and the light of all that I have rightly learned. By John Ruskin Noticed Invisible Entire Delight Observing

A man is known to his dog by the smell, to his tailor by the coat, to his friend by the smile; each of these know him, but how little or how much depends on the dignity of the intelligence. That which is truly and indeed characteristic of the man is known only to God. By John Ruskin Man Smell Coat Smile Intelligence

Beauty deprived of its proper foils and adjuncts ceases to be enjoyed as beauty, just as light deprived of all shadows ceases to be enjoyed as light. By John Ruskin Enjoyed Deprived Ceases Light Beauty

Kind hearts are the garden, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the blossoms, kind deeds are the fruit. By John Ruskin Kind Garden Roots Blossoms Fruit

Color is, in brief terms, the type of love. Hence it is especially connected with the blossoming of the earth; and again, with its fruits; also, with the spring and fall of the leaf, and with the morning and evening of the day, in order to show the waiting of love about the birth and death of man. By John Ruskin Love Color Terms Type Earth

No changing of place at a hundred miles an hour will make us one whit stronger, or happier, or wiser. There was always more in the world than man could see, walked they ever so slowly; they will see it no better for going fast. The really precious things are thought and sight, not pace. It does a bullet no good to go fast; and a man, if he be truly a man, no harm to go slow; for his glory is not at all in going, but in being. By John Ruskin Stronger Happier Wiser Man Fast

Men don't and can't live by exchanging articles, but by producing them. They don't live by trade, but by work. Give up that foolish and vain title of Trades Unions; and take that of laborers Unions. By John Ruskin Live Unions Men Articles Exchanging

Cookery means the knowledge of Medea and of Circe and of Helen and of the Queen of Sheba. It means the knowledge of all herbs and fruits and balms and spices, and all that is healing and sweet in the fields and groves and savory in meats. It means carefulness and inventiveness and willingness and readiness of appliances. It means the economy of your grandmothers and the science of the modern chemist; it means much testing and no wasting; it means English thoroughness and French art and Arabian hospitality; and, in fine, it means that you are to be perfectly and always ladies - loaf givers. By John Ruskin Sheba Medea Circe Helen Queen

The only way to understand the difficult parts of the Bible is first to read and obey the easy ones. By John Ruskin Bible Understand Difficult Parts Read

As the art of life is learned, it will be found at last that all lovely things are also necessary; a wild flower by the wayside, tended corn, wild birds and creatures of the forest, as well as the tended cattle; because man doth not live by bread only. By John Ruskin Wild Tended Learned Wayside Corn

I wish they would use English instead of Greek words. When I want to know why a leaf is green, they tell me it is coloured by "chlorophyll," which at first sounds very instructive; but if they would only say plainly that a leaf is coloured green by a thing which is called "green leaf," we should see more precisely how far we had got. By John Ruskin English Greek Leaf Words Green

If it is the love of that which your work representsif, being a landscape painter, it is love of hills and trees that moves youif, being a figure painter, it is love of human beauty, and human soul that moves youif, being a flower or animal painter, it is love, and wonder, and delight in petal and in limb that move you, then the Spirit is upon you, and the earth is yours, and the fullness thereof. By John Ruskin Love Painter Youif Moves Spirit

God is a kind Father. He sets us all in the places where he wishes us to be employed. He chooses work for every creature which will be delightful to them if they do it simply and humbly. He gives us always strength enough and sense enough for what he wants us to do. By John Ruskin Father God Kind Employed Sets

No person who is well bred, kind and modest is ever offensively plain; all real deformity means want for manners or of heart. By John Ruskin Bred Kind Plain Heart Person

Pleasure comes through toil, and not by self indulgence and indolence. When one gets to love work, his life is a happy one. By John Ruskin Pleasure Toil Indolence Indulgence Work

If you do not wish for His kingdom, don't pray for it. But if you do, you must do more than pray for it, you must work for it. By John Ruskin Kingdom Pray Work

We need examples of people who, leaving Heaven to decide whether they are to rise in the world, decide for themselves that they will be happy in it, and have resolved to seek not greater wealth, but simpler pleasure; not higher fortune, but deeper felicity; making the first of possessions, self-possession; and honouring themselves in the harmless pride and calm pursuits of peace. By John Ruskin Selfpossession Heaven Decide Leaving World

We are foolish, and without excuse foolish, in speaking of the superiority of one sex to the other, as if they could be compared in similar things! Each has what the other has not; each completes the other; they are in nothing alike and the happiness and perfection of both depend on each asking and receiving from the other what the other only can give. By John Ruskin Foolish Things Excuse Speaking Superiority

A power of obtaining veracity in the representation of material and tangible things, which, within certain limits and conditions, is unimpeachable, has now been placed in the hands of all men, almost without labour. (1853) By John Ruskin Things Conditions Unimpeachable Men Labour

Understand this clearly: you can teach a man to draw a straight line, and to carve it; and to copy and carve any number of given lines or forms, with admirable speed and perfect precision; and you find his work perfect of its kind: but if you ask him to think about any of those forms, to consider if he cannot find any better in his own head, he stops; his execution becomes hesitating; he thinks, and ten to one he thinks wrong; ten to one he makes a mistake in the first touch he gives to his work as a thinking being. But you have made a man of him for all that. He was only a machine before, an animated tool. By John Ruskin Forms Work Ten Carve Perfect

The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something and tell what it saw in a plain way. Hundreds of people can talk for one who can think, but thousands can think for one who can see. To see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion, all in one. By John Ruskin Greatest Thing Human Soul World

That which is required in order to the attainment of accurate conclusions respecting the essence of the Beautiful is nothing morethan earnest, loving, and unselfish attention to our impressions of it. By John Ruskin Loving Beautiful Earnest Required Order

As in the instances of alchemy, astrology, witchcraft, and other such popular creeds, political economy, has a plausible idea at the root of it. By John Ruskin Astrology Witchcraft Alchemy Creeds Political

To invent a story, or admirably and thoroughly tell any part of a story, it is necessary to grasp the entire mind of every personage concerned in it, and know precisely how they would be affected by what happens; which to do requires a colossal intellect: but to describe a separate emotion delicately, it is only needed that one should feel it oneself; and thousands of people are capable of feeling this or that noble emotion, for one who is able to enter into all the feelings of someone sitting on the other side of the table. By John Ruskin Story Emotion Intellect Delicately Oneself

Wherever the human mind is healthy and vigorous in all its proportions, great in imagination and emotion no less than in intellect, and not overborne by an undue or hardened pre-eminence of the mere reasoning faculties, there the grotesque will exist in full energy. By John Ruskin Proportions Great Intellect Faculties Energy

All are to be men of genius in their degree,rivulets or rivers, it does not matter, so that the souls be clear and pure; not dead walls encompassing dead heaps of things, known and numbered, but running waters in the sweet wilderness of things unnumbered and unknown, conscious only of the living banks, on which they partly refresh and partly reflect the flowers, and so pass on. By John Ruskin Things Dead Partly Rivers Matter

You may chisel a boy into shape, as you would a rock, or hammer him into it, if he be of a better kind, as you would a piece of bronze. But you cannot hammer a girl into anything. She grows as a flower does. By John Ruskin Shape Rock Kind Bronze Hammer

I believe the right question to ask, respecting all ornament, is simply this; was it done with enjoyment, was the carver happy while he was about it? By John Ruskin Respecting Ornament Enjoyment Question Simply

He who has once stood beside the grave, to look back upon the companionship which has been forever closed, feeling how impotent there are the wild love, or the keen sorrow, to give one instant's pleasure to the pulseless heart, or atone in the lowest measure to the departed spirit for the hour of unkindness, will scarcely for the future incur that debt to the heart which can only be discharged to the dust. By John Ruskin Heart Grave Closed Feeling Love

Everything will be found beautiful, which climate or situation render useful. By John Ruskin Beautiful Found Climate Situation Render

Living without an aim, is like sailing without a compass. By John Ruskin Living Aim Compass Sailing

It takes a great deal of living to get a little deal of learning. By John Ruskin Deal Learning Great Living

It is, indeed, right that we should look for, and hasten, so far as in us lies, the coming of the day of God; but not that we should check any human effort by anticipations of its approach. We shall hasten it best by endeavoring to work out the tasks that are appointed for us here; and, therefore, reasoning as if the world were to continue under its existing dispensation, and the powers which have just been granted to us were to be continued through myriads of future ages. By John Ruskin God Lies Approach Hasten Coming

Success by the laws of competition signifies a victory over others by obtaining the direction and profits of their work. This is the real source of all great riches. By John Ruskin Success Work Laws Competition Signifies

The art which we may call generally art of the wayside, as opposed to that which is the business of men's lives, is, in the best sense of the word, Grotesque. By John Ruskin Grotesque Art Wayside Lives Word

PAINT the leaves as they grow! If you can paint one leaf, you can paint the world,' John Ruskin By John Ruskin Paint Grow John Ruskin Leaves

You will find that the mere resolve not to be useless, and the honest desire to help other people, will, in the quickest and delicatest ways, improve yourself. By John Ruskin Useless People Improve Find Mere

To follow art for the sake of being a great man, and therefore to cast about continually for some means of achieving position or attracting admiration, is the surest way of ending in total extinction. By John Ruskin Man Admiration Extinction Follow Art

We are always in these days endeavoring to separate intellect and manual labor; we want one man to be always thinking, and another to be always working, and we call one a gentleman, and the other an operative; whereas the workman ought often to be thinking, and the thinker often to be working, and both should be gentlemen in the best sense. By John Ruskin Thinking Working Labor Gentleman Operative

It is impossible, as impossible as to raise the dead, to restore anything that has ever been great or beautiful in architecture. That which I have insisted upon as the life of the whole, that spirit which is given only by the hand and eye of the workman, can never be recalled. By John Ruskin Impossible Dead Architecture Raise Restore

No amount of pay ever made a good soldier, a good teacher, a good artist, or a good workman. By John Ruskin Good Soldier Teacher Artist Workman

Government and cooperation are in all things the laws of life. Anarchy and competition, the laws of death. By John Ruskin Laws Government Life Cooperation Things

Now observe; if the artist does not understand the sacredness of the truth of Impression, and supposes that, once quitting hold of his first thought, he may by Philosophy compose something prettier than he saw and mightier than he felt, it is all over with him. Every such attempt at composition will be utterly abortive, and end in something that is neither true nor fanciful; something geographically useless, and intellectually absurd. By John Ruskin Impression Philosophy Observe Thought Felt

Make yourselves nests of pleasant thoughts. None of us knows what fairy palaces we may build of beautiful thought-proof against all adversity. Bright fancies, satisfied memories, noble histories, faithful sayings, treasure houses of precious and restful thoughts, which care cannot disturb, nor pain make gloomy, nor poverty take away from us. By John Ruskin Thoughts Nests Pleasant Make Adversity

It is only the basest writer who cannot speak of the sea without talking of "raging waves," "remorseless floods," "ravenous billows," etc.; and it is one of the signs of the highest power in a writer to check all such habits of thought, and to keep his eyes fixed firmly on the pure fact , out of which if any feeling comes to him or his reader, he knows it must be a true one. By John Ruskin Writer Etc Raging Waves Remorseless

The only prospect which is really desirable or delightful, is that from the window of the breakfast-room [ ... ] where we meet the first light of the dewy day, the first breath of the morning air, the first glance of gentle eyes; to which we descend in the very spring and elasticity of mental renovation and bodily energy, in the gathering up of our spirit for the new day, in the flush of our awakening from the darkness and the mystery of faint and inactive dreaming, in the resurrection from our daily grave, in the first tremulous sensation of the beauty of our being, in the most glorious perception of the lightning of our life; there, indeed, our expatiation of spirit, when it meets the pulse of outward sound and joy, the voice of bird and breeze and billow, does demand some power of liberty, some space for its going forth into the morning, some freedom of intercourse with the lovely and limitless energy of creature and creation. By John Ruskin Delightful Breakfastroom Day Prospect Desirable

Shadows are in reality, when the sun is shining, the most conspicuous thing in a landscape, next to the highest lights. By John Ruskin Shadows Reality Shining Landscape Lights

Humanity and Immortality consist neither in reason, nor in love; not in the body, nor in the animation of the heart of it, nor in the thoughts and stirrings of the brain of it;but in the dedication of them all to Him who will raise them up at the last day. By John Ruskin Immortality Humanity Reason Love Body

If a great thing can be done, it can be done easily, but this ease is like the of ease of a tree blossoming after long years of gathering strength. By John Ruskin Ease Easily Strength Great Thing

You may trust to the truth of my sympathy; but you must remember that I am engaged in the investigation of enormous religious and moral questions, in the history of nations; and that your feelings, or my own, or anybody else's, at any particular moment, are of very little interest to me,not from want of sympathy, but from the small proportion the individuality bears to the whole subject of my enquiry. By John Ruskin Sympathy Questions Nations Feelings Moment

There are many religions, but there is only one morality. By John Ruskin Religions Morality

No one can become rich by the efforts of only their toil, but only by the discovery of some method of taxing the labor of others. By John Ruskin Toil Rich Efforts Discovery Method

No one can explain how the notes of a Mozart melody, or the folds of a piece of Titian's drapery, produce their essential effects. If you do not feel it, no one can by reasoning make you feel it. By John Ruskin Mozart Titian Melody Drapery Produce

Cookery means ... English thoroughness, French art, and Arabian hospitality; it means the knowledge of all fruits and herbs and balms and spices; it means carefulness, inventiveness, and watchfulness. By John Ruskin Cookery French Inventiveness Arabian English

There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey. By John Ruskin Cheaper Prey Man World Make

It is not, truly speaking, the labour that is divided; but the men: divided into mere segments of men - broken into small fragments and crumbs of life, so that all the little piece of intelligence that is left in a man is not enough to make a pin, or a nail, but exhausts itself in making the point of a pin or the head of a nail. By John Ruskin Nail Men Pin Divided Speaking

There are, indeed, two forms of discontent: one laborious, the other indolent and complaining. We respect the man of laborious desire, but let us not suppose that his restlessness is peace, or his ambition meekness. It is because of the special connection of meekness with contentment that it is promised that the meek shall 'inherit the earth.' Neither covetous men, nor the grave, can inherit anything; they can but consume. Only contentment can possess. By John Ruskin Discontent Complaining Laborious Forms Indolent

Variety is a positive requisite even in the character of our food. By John Ruskin Variety Food Positive Requisite Character

To be taught to read - what is the use of that, if you know not whether what you read is false or true? To be taught to write or to speak - but what is the use of speaking, if you have nothing to say? To be taught to think - nay, what is the use of being able to think, if you have nothing to think of? But to be taught to see is to gain word and thought at once, and both true. By John Ruskin Taught Read True False Speak

The greatest glory of a building is not in its stones, nor in its gold. Its glory is in its Age, and in that deep sense of voicefulness, of stern watching, of mysterious sympathy ... which we feel in walls that have long been washed by the passing waves of humanity. By John Ruskin Stones Gold Glory Greatest Building

Nearly all our associations are determined by chance or necessity; and restricted within a narrow circle. We cannot know whom we would; and those whom we know, we cannot have at our side when we most need them. All the higher circles of human intelligence are, to those beneath, only momentarily and partially open ... there is a society continually open to us, of people who will talk to us as long as we like, whatever our rank or occupation; - talk to us in the best words they can choose, and of the things nearest their hearts. And this society, because it is so numerous and so gentle, and can be kept waiting around us all day long, - kings and statesmen lingering patiently, not to grant audience, but to gain it! - in those plainly furnished and narrow ante-rooms, our bookcase shelves, - we make no account of that company, - perhaps never listen to a word they would say, all day long! By John Ruskin Necessity Long Associations Determined Chance

In our whole life melody the music is broken off here and there by rests, and we foolishly think we have come to the end of time. God sends a time of forced leisure, a time of sickness and disappointed plans, and makes a sudden pause in the hymns of our lives, and we lament that our voice must be silent and our part missing in the music which ever goes up to the ear of our Creator. Not without design does God write the music of our lives. Be it ours to learn the time and not be dismayed at the rests. If we look up, God will beat the time for us. By John Ruskin Time Music God Lives Rests

The question is not what man can scorn, or disparage, or find fault with, but what he can love, and value, and appreciate. By John Ruskin Scorn Disparage Love Question Man

All really great pictures exhibit the general habits of nature, manifested in some peculiar, rare, and beautiful way. By John Ruskin Rare Nature Manifested Peculiar Great

Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty. By John Ruskin Endurance Strength Beauty Nobler Patience

Men say their pinnacles point to heaven. Why, so does every tree that buds, and every bird that rises as it sings. Men say their aisles are good for worship. Why, so is every mountain glen and rough sea-shore. But this they have of distinct and indisputable glory,that their mighty walls were never raised, and never shall be, but by men who love and aid each other in their weakness. By John Ruskin Heaven Men Pinnacles Point Buds

When I have been unhappy, I have heard an opera ... and it seemed the shrieking of winds; when I am happy, a sparrow's chirp is delicious to me. But it is not the chirp that makes me happy, but I that make it sweet. By John Ruskin Happy Unhappy Opera Winds Chirp

Spiritual power begins by directing animal power to other than egoistic ends. By John Ruskin Spiritual Ends Power Begins Directing

The eye is continually influenced by what it cannot detect; nay, it is not going too far, to say that it is most influenced by what it detects least. Let the painter define, if he can, the variations of lines on which depend the change of expression in the human countenance. By John Ruskin Influenced Nay Eye Continually Detect

The word "Blue" does not mean the sensation caused by a gentian on the human eye; but it means the power of producing that sensation: and this power is always there, in the thing, whether we are there to experience it or not, and would remain there though there were not a man left on the face of the earth. By John Ruskin Blue Sensation Power Word Eye

Do justice to your brother (you can do that, whether you love him or not), and you will come to love him. But do injustice to him because you don't love him, and you will come to hate him. By John Ruskin Love Brother Justice Injustice Hate

Surely our clergy need not be surprised at the daily increasing distrust in the public mind of the efficacy of prayer. By John Ruskin Surely Prayer Clergy Surprised Daily

A nation which lives a pastoral and innocent life never decorates the shepherd's staff or the plough-handle; but races who live by depredation and slaughter nearly always bestow exquisite ornaments on the quiver, the helmet, and the spear. By John Ruskin Ploughhandle Quiver Helmet Spear Nation

The mass of society is made up of morbid thinkers, and miserable workers. Now it is only by labour that thought can be made healthy, and only by thought that labour can be made happy, and the two cannot be separated with impunity. By John Ruskin Made Thinkers Workers Mass Society

Candlesticks and incense not being portable into the maintop, the sailor perceives these decorations to be, on the whole, inessential to a maintop mass. Sails must be set and cables bent, be it never so strict a saint's day; and it is found that no harm comes of it. Absolution on a lee-shore must be had of the breakers, it appears, if at all; and they give plenary and brief without listening to confession. By John Ruskin Maintop Candlesticks Inessential Mass Incense

It is evident that the chief feeling induced by woody country is one of reverence for its antiquity. There is a quiet melancholy about the decay of the patriarchal trunks, which is enhanced by the green and elastic vigor of the young saplings; the noble form of the forest aisles, and the subdued light which penetrates their entangled boughs, combine to add to the impression; and the whole character of the scene is calculated to excite conservative feeling. The man who could remain a radical in a wood country is a disgrace to his species. By John Ruskin Feeling Antiquity Country Evident Chief

Being thus prepared for us in all ways, and made beautiful, and good for food, and for building, and for instruments of our hands, this race of plants, deserving boundless affection and admiration from us, becomes, in proportion to their obtaining it, a nearly perfect test of our being in right temper of mind and way of life; so that no one can be far wrong in either who loves trees enough, and everyone is assuredly wrong in both who does not love them, if his life has brought them in his way. By John Ruskin Wrong Life Beautiful Food Building

The second reason is, that imperfection is in some sort essential to all that we know of life. It is the sign of life in a mortal body, that is to say, of a state of progress and change. Nothing that lives is, or can be, ridgidly perfect; part of it is decaying, part nascent. The foxglove blossom,a third part bud, a third part past, a third part in full bloom,is a type of the life of this world. And in all things that live there are certain irregularities and deficiencies which are not only signs of life, but sources of beauty. All admit irregularity as they imply change; and to banish imperfection is to destroy expression, to check exertion, to paralyse vitality. By John Ruskin Part Life Reason Sort Essential

Obedience is, indeed, founded on a kind of freedom, else it would become mere subjugation, but that freedom is only granted that obedience may be more perfect; and thus while a measure of license is necessary to exhibit the individual energies of things, the fairness and pleasantness and perfection of them all consist in their restraint. By John Ruskin Obedience Freedom Founded Subjugation Perfect

In the purest landscape, the human subject is the immortality of the soul by the faithfulness of love. By John Ruskin Landscape Love Purest Human Subject

He who can take no interest in what is small will take false interest in what is great. By John Ruskin Interest Great Small False

Depend upon it, the first universal characteristic of all great art is Tenderness, as the second is Truth. By John Ruskin Tenderness Truth Depend Universal Characteristic

Remember always, in painting as in eloquence, the greater your strength, the quieter will be your manner, and the fewer your words; and in painting, as in all the arts and acts of life the secret of high success will be found, not in a fretful and various excellence, but in a quiet singleness of justly chosen aim. By John Ruskin Painting Remember Eloquence Strength Manner

It is a shallow criticism that would define poetry as confined to literary productions in rhyme and meter rhythm. The written poem is only poetry talking, and the statue, the picture, and the musical composition are poetry acting. Milton and Goethe, at their desks, were not more truly poets than Phidias with his chisel, Raphael at his easel, or deaf Beethoven bending over his piano, inventing and producing strains, which he himself could never hope to hear. By John Ruskin Poetry Rhythm Shallow Criticism Define

Cursing is invoking the assistance of a spirit to help you inflict suffering. Swearing on the other hand, is invoking, only the witness of a spirit to an statement you wish to make. By John Ruskin Spirit Cursing Suffering Invoking Assistance

The true grotesque being the expression of the repose or play of a serious mind, there is a false grotesque opposed to it, which is the result of the full exertion of a frivolous one. By John Ruskin Grotesque Mind True Expression Repose

When we build ... let it not be for present delights nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for, and let us think ... that a time is to come when these stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say as they look upon the labor, and the wrought substance of them, See! This our fathers did for us! By John Ruskin Build Present Delights Labor Work

When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, 'See! This our father did for us. By John Ruskin Build Forever Present Stone Delight

You must get into the habit of looking intensely at words, and assuring yourself of their meaning, syllable by syllable-nay, letter by letter ... you might read all the books in the British Museum (if you could live long enough) and remain an utterly "illiterate," undeducated person; but if you read ten pages of a good book, letter by letter, - that is to say, with real accuracy- you are for evermore in some measure an educated person. By John Ruskin Letter Words Meaning Syllable Syllablenay

People are always expecting to get peace in heaven: but you know whatever peace they get there will be ready-made. Whatever making of peace they can be blest for, must be on the earth here. By John Ruskin Peace People Heaven Readymade Expecting

And whether consciously or not, you must be in many a heart enthroned: queens you must always be: queens to your lovers; queens to your husbands and sons; queens of higher mystery to the world beyond, which bows itself, and will forever bow, before the myrtle crown, and the stainless scepter of womanhood. By John Ruskin Queens Enthroned Lovers Sons Crown

Children see in their parents the past, their parents see in them the future; and if we find more love in the parents for their children than in children for their parents, this is sad but natural. Who does not entertain his hopes more than his recollections. By John Ruskin Parents Children Past Future Natural

Men have commonly more pleasure in the criticism which hurts than in that which is innocuous, and are more tolerant of the severity which breaks hearts and ruins fortunes than of that which falls impotently on the grave. By John Ruskin Men Innocuous Grave Commonly Pleasure

The root of almost every schism and heresy from which the Christian Church has suffered, has been because of the effort of men to earn, rather than receive their salvation; and the reason preaching is so commonly ineffective is, that it often calls on people to work for God rather than letting God work through them. By John Ruskin God Christian Church Work Suffered

You do not see with the lens of the eye. You seen through that, and by means of that, but you see with the soul of the eye. By John Ruskin Eye Lens Soul

A forest of all manner of trees is poor, if not disagreeable, in effect; a mass of one species of tree is sublime. By John Ruskin Poor Disagreeable Effect Sublime Trees

I have seen, and heard, much of Cockney impudence before now; but never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face. By John Ruskin Cockney Heard Face Impudence Expected

Modern education has devoted itself to the teaching of impudence, and then we complain that we can no longer control our mobs. By John Ruskin Modern Impudence Mobs Education Devoted

God intends no man to live in this world without working, but it seems to me no less evident that He intends every man to be happy in his work. By John Ruskin Man Intends God Working Work

You will find it less easy to unroot faults than to choke them by gaining virtues. Do not think of your faults, still less of others faults; in every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong; honor that; rejoice in it and as you can, try to imitate it; and your faults will drop off like dead leaves when their time comes. By John Ruskin Faults Virtues Find Easy Unroot

Trust thou thy Love: if she be proud, is she not sweet?Trust thou thy love: if she be mute, is she not pure?Lay thou thy soul full in her hands, low at her feet-Fail, Sun and Breath!-yet, for thy peace, she shall endure. By John Ruskin Trust Love Thy Thou Lay

To watch the corn grow, or the blossoms set; to draw hard breath over the plough or spade; to read, to think, to love, to pray, are the things that make men happy. By John Ruskin Grow Set Spade Read Love

It does not much matter that an individual loses two or three hundred pounds in buying a bad picture, but it is to be regretted that a nation should lose two or three hundred thousand in raising a ridiculous building. By John Ruskin Hundred Picture Building Matter Individual

But if, indeed, there be a nobler life in us than in these strangely moving atoms; if, indeed, there is an eternal difference between the fire which inhabits them, and that which animates us,it must be shown, by each of us in his appointed place, not merely in the patience, but in the activity of our hope, not merely by our desire, but our labor, for the time when the dust of the generations of men shall be confirmed for foundations of the gates of the city of God. By John Ruskin God Atoms Shown Place Patience

It is advisable that a person know at least three things, where they are, where they are going, and what they had best do under the circumstances. By John Ruskin Things Circumstances Advisable Person

I want to speak to you about the treasures hidden in books; and about the way we find them, and the way we lose them. By John Ruskin Books Speak Treasures Hidden Find

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. By John Ruskin Weather Sunshine Delicious Rain Refreshing

Nothing can be true which is either complete or vacant; every touch is false which does not suggest more than it represents, and every space is false which represents nothing. By John Ruskin False Represents Vacant True Complete

That which seems to be wealth may in verity be only the gilded index of far reaching ruin By John Ruskin Ruin Wealth Verity Gilded Index

You may assuredly find perfect peace, if you are resolved to do that which your Lord has plainly requiredand content that He should indeed require no more of youthan to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him. By John Ruskin Lord Peace Justice Mercy Assuredly

The repose necessary to all beauty is repose, not of inanition, nor of luxury, nor of irresolution, but the repose of magnificent energy and being; in action, the calmness of trust and determination; in rest, the consciousness of duty accomplished and of victory won; and this repose and this felicity can take place as well in the midst of trial and tempest, as beside the waters of comfort. By John Ruskin Repose Inanition Luxury Irresolution Action

Courage, so far as it is a sign of race, is peculiarly the mark of a gentleman or a lady; but it becomes vulgar if rude or insensitive, while timidity is not vulgar, if it be a characteristic of race or fineness of make. A fawn is not vulgar in being timid, nor a crocodile "gentle" because courageous. By John Ruskin Race Vulgar Courage Lady Insensitive

And besides; the problem of land, at its worst, is a bye one; distribute the earth as you will, the principal question remains inexorable, Who is to dig it? Which of us, in brief word, is to do the hard and dirty work for the rest, and for what pay? By John Ruskin Land Worst Distribute Inexorable Problem

There is nothing so small but that we may honor God by asking His guidance of it, or insult Him by taking it into our own hands. By John Ruskin God Hands Small Honor Guidance

There's no music in rest, but there's the making of music in it. And people are always missing that part of the life melody, always talking of perseverance and courage and fortitude; but patience is the finest and worthiest part of fortitude, and the rarest, too. By John Ruskin Music Rest Fortitude Making Part

All great art is the work of the whole living creature, body and soul, and chiefly of the soul. By John Ruskin Soul Creature Body Great Art

Inequalities of wealth, unjustly established, have assuredly injured the nation in which they exist during their establishment; and, unjustly directed, they injure it yet more during their existence. But inequalities of wealth justly established, benefit the nation in the course of their establishment; and, nobly used, aid it yet more by their existence. By John Ruskin Unjustly Establishment Existence Established Nation

Give an earnest-hearted, devoted girl any true work that will make her active in the dawn, and weary at night, with the consciousness that her fellow-creatures have indeed been the better for her day, and the powerless sorrow of her enthusiasm will transform itself into a majesty of radiant and beneficent peace. By John Ruskin Give Earnesthearted Devoted Dawn Night

The man who accepts the laissez-faire doctrine would allow his garden to grow wild so that roses might fight it out with the weeds and the fittest might survive. By John Ruskin Survive Man Accepts Laissezfaire Doctrine

If you want knowledge, you must toil for it; if food, you must toil for it; and if pleasure, you must toil for it: toil is the law. By John Ruskin Toil Knowledge Food Pleasure Law

The spirit needs several sorts of food of which knowledge is only one. By John Ruskin Spirit Sorts Food Knowledge

Though nature is constantly beautiful, she does not exhibit her highest powers of beauty constantly, for then they would satiate us and pall upon our senses. It is necessary to their appreciation that they should be rarely shown. Her finest touches are things which must be watched for; her most perfect passages of beauty are the most evanescent. By John Ruskin Constantly Beautiful Senses Beauty Nature

Along the iron veins that traverse the frame of our country, beat and flow the fiery pulses of its exertion, hotter and faster every hour. All vitality is concentrated through those throbbing arteries into the central cities; the country is passed over like a green sea by narrow bridges, and we are thrown back in continually closer crowds on the city gates. By John Ruskin Beat Exertion Hotter Hour Country

Of all the things that oppress me, this sense of the evil working of nature herself -my disgust at her barbarity -clumsiness -darkness -bitter mockery of herself -is the most desolating. By John Ruskin Clumsiness Darkness Barbarity Bitter Desolating

If there be any one principle more widely than another confessed by every utterance, or more sternly than another imprinted on every atom of the visible creation, that principle is not liberty, but law. By John Ruskin Utterance Creation Liberty Law Principle

The best work never was and never will be done for money. By John Ruskin Money Work

All art is but dirtying the paper delicately. By John Ruskin Delicately Art Dirtying Paper

There is but one question ultimately to be asked respecting every line you draw, Is it right or wrong? If right, it most assuredly is not a "free" line, but an intensely continent, restrained and considered line; and the action of the hand in laying it is just as decisive, and just as "free" as the hand of a first-rate surgeon in a critical incision. By John Ruskin Free Line Draw Wrong Question

No divine terror will ever be found in the work of the man who wastes a colossal strength in elaborating toys; for the first lesson that terror is sent to teach us is, the value of the human soul, and the shortness of mortal time. By John Ruskin Terror Toys Soul Time Divine

I used to lie down on the grass and draw the blades as they grew - until every square foot of meadow, or mossy bank, became a possession to me. By John Ruskin Grew Meadow Bank Lie Grass

I do not believe that any peacock envies another peacock his tail, because every peacock is persuaded that his own tail is the finest in the world. The consequence of this is that peacocks are peaceable birds. By John Ruskin Tail World Peacock Envies Persuaded

My mother's influence in molding my character was conspicuous. She forced me to learn daily long chapters of the Bible by heart. To that discipline and patient, accurate resolve I owe not only much of my general power of taking pains, but of the best part of my taste for literature. By John Ruskin Conspicuous Mother Influence Molding Character

When you pay too much, you lose a little money - that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought is incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. By John Ruskin Pay Money Lose Thing Bought

Imaginary evils soon become real one by indulging our reflections on them. By John Ruskin Imaginary Evils Real Indulging Reflections

Death is not a journey into an unknown land; it is a voyage home. We are going, not to a strange country, but to our fathers house. By John Ruskin Death Land Home Journey Unknown

Know thyself, for through thyself only thou canst know God. By John Ruskin God Thyself Thou Canst

All great art is the expression of man's delight in God's work, not his own. By John Ruskin God Work Great Art Expression

True taste is forever growing, learning, reading, worshipping, laying its hand upon its mouth because it is astonished, casting its shoes from off its feet because it finds all ground holy. By John Ruskin Learning Reading Worshipping True Growing

Nobody cares much at heart about Titian, only there is a strange undercurrent of everlasting murmur about his name, which means the deep consent of all great men that he is greater than they. By John Ruskin Titian Cares Heart Strange Undercurrent

In all things that live there are certain irregularities, and deficiencies which are not only signs of life, but sources of beauty. No human face is exactly the same in its lines on each side, no leaf perfect in its lobes, no branch in its symmetry. By John Ruskin Irregularities Life Beauty Things Live

Sculpture is not the mere cutting of the form of anything in stone; it is the cutting of the effect of it. Very often the true form, in the marble, would not be in the least like itself. By John Ruskin Cutting Sculpture Stone Form Mere

If a book is worth reading, it is worth buying. By John Ruskin Worth Reading Buying Book

The very cheapness of literature is making even wise people forget that if a book is worth reading, it is worth buying. No book is worth anything which is not worth much; nor is it serviceable, until it has been read, and re-read, and loved, and loved again; and marked, so that you can refer to the passages you want in it. By John Ruskin Worth Book Reading Buying Cheapness

Every advance in our acuteness of perception will show us something thing new; but the old and first-discerned thing will still be there, not falsified, only modified and enriched by the new perceptions, becoming continually more beautiful in its harmony with them, and more approved as a part of the infinite truth. By John Ruskin Thing Falsified Truth Advance Acuteness

Perhaps some of my hearers this evening may have occasionally heard it stated of me that I am rather apt to contradict myself. I hope I am exceedingly apt to do so. I never met wth a question yet, of any importance, which did not need, for the right solution of it, at least one positive and one negative answer, like an equation of the second degree. Mostly, matters of any consequence are three-sided, or four-sided, or polygonal; and the trotting round a polygon is severe work for people any way stiff in their opinions. For myself, I am never satisfied that I have handled a subject properly till I have contradicted myself at least three times: but once must do for this evening. By John Ruskin Apt Hearers Occasionally Heard Stated

Every human action gains in honor, in grace, in all true magnificence, by its regard to things that are to come. It is the far sight, the quiet and confident patience, that, above all other attributes, separate man from man, and near him to his Maker; and there is no action nor art, whose majesty we may not measure by this test. By John Ruskin Honor Grace Magnificence Action Human

We shall be remembered in history as the most cruel, and therefore the most unwise, generation of men that ever yet troubled the earth: the most cruel in proportion to their sensibility, the most unwise in proportion to their science. No people, understanding pain, ever inflicted so much: no people, understanding facts, ever acted on them so little. By John Ruskin Proportion Cruel Unwise People Generation

I've seen the Rhine with younger wave, O'er every obstacle to rave. I see the Rhine in his native wild Is still a mighty mountain child. By John Ruskin Oer Rhine Wave Rave Younger

It is not so much in buying pictures as in being pictures, that you can encourage a noble school. The best patronage of art is not that which seeks for the pleasures of sentiment in a vague ideality, nor for beauty of form in a marble image, but that which educates your children into living heroes, and binds down the flights and the fondnesses of the heart into practical duty and faithful devotion. By John Ruskin Pictures School Buying Encourage Noble

Nearly all the evils in the Church have arisen from bishops desiring power more than light. They want authority, not outlook. By John Ruskin Church Light Evils Arisen Bishops

Human work must be done honourably and thoroughly, because we are now Men; whether we ever expect to be angels, or were ever slugs, being practically no matter. By John Ruskin Men Human Angels Slugs Matter

Greatness is the aggregation of minuteness; nor can its sublimity be felt truthfully by any mind unaccustomed to the affectionate watching of what is least. By John Ruskin Greatness Minuteness Aggregation Sublimity Felt

Ignorance, which is contented and clumsy, will produce what is imperfect, but not offensive. But ignorance dis contented and dexterous, learning what it cannot understand, and imitating what it cannot enjoy, produces the most loathsome forms of manufacture that can disgrace or mislead humanity. By John Ruskin Clumsy Imperfect Offensive Contented Ignorance

Another of the strange and evil tendencies of the present day is the decoration of the railroad station ... There was never more flagrant nor impertinent folly than the smallest portion of ornament in anything connected with the railroads ... Railroad architecture has or would have a dignity of its own if it were only left to its work. By John Ruskin Station Railroad Strange Evil Tendencies

All real and wholesome enjoyments possible to people have been just as possible to them since first they were made of the earth as they are now; and they are possible to them chiefly in peace. To watch the corn grow, and the blossoms set; to draw hard breath over plowshare or spade; to read, to think, to love, to hope: these are the things that make people happy. By John Ruskin People Peace Real Wholesome Enjoyments

Men are merely on a lower or higher stage of an eminence, whose summit is God's throne infinitely above all; and there is just as much reason for the wisest as for the simplest man being discontent with his position, as respects the real quantity of knowledge he possesses. By John Ruskin God Men Eminence Position Possesses

The truths of nature are one eternal change, one infinite variety. There is no bush on the face of the globe exactly like another bush; there are no two trees in the forest whose boughs bend into the same network, nor two leaves on the same tree which could not be told one from the other, nor two waves in the sea exactly alike. By John Ruskin Change Variety Truths Nature Eternal

There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. By John Ruskin Worse Cheaply Man Scarcely World

We shall be led as much to the street and the cottage as to the temple and the tower; and shall be more interested in buildings raised by feeling, By John Ruskin Tower Feeling Led Street Cottage

The endurance of monotony has about the same place in a healty mind that the endurance of darkness has: that is to say, as a strong intellect will have pleasure in the solemnities of storm and twilight, and in the broken and mysterious lights that gleam among them, rather than in mere brilliancy and glare, while a frivolous mind will dread the shadow and storm; and as a great man will be ready to endure much darkness of fortune in order to reach greater eminence of power or felicity, while an inferior man will not pay the price; exactly in like manner a great mind will accept, or even delight in, monotony which would be wearisome to an inferior intellect, because it has more patience and power of expectation, and is ready to pay the full price for the great future pleasure of change. By John Ruskin Mind Great Endurance Man Ready

The greatest efforts of the race have always been traceable to the love of praise, as the greatest catastrophes to the love of pleasure. By John Ruskin Love Greatest Praise Pleasure Efforts

Childhood often holds a truth with its feeble finger, which the grasp of manhood cannot retain,which it is the pride of utmost age to recover. By John Ruskin Childhood Finger Recover Holds Truth

Failure is less attributable to either insufficiency of means or impatience of labours than to a confused understanding of the thing actually to be done. By John Ruskin Failure Attributable Insufficiency Impatience Labours

The step between practical and theoretic science, is the step between the miner and the geologist, the apocathecary and the chemist. By John Ruskin Step Science Geologist Chemist Practical

Drunkenness is not only the cause of crime, but it is crime; and if any encourage drunkenness for the sake of the profit derived from the sale of drink, they are guilty of a form of moral assassination as criminal as any that has ever been practiced by the braves of any country or of any age. By John Ruskin Crime Drunkenness Drink Age Encourage

Men are more evanescent than pictures, yet one sorrows for lost friends, and pictures are my friends. I have none others. I am never long enough with men to attach myself to them; and whatever feelings of attachment I have are to material things. By John Ruskin Friends Pictures Evanescent Sorrows Lost

The great cry that rises from our manufacturing cities, louder than their furnace blast, is all in very deed for this, that we manufacture everything there except men; we blanch cotton, and strengthen steel, and refine sugar, and shape pottery; but to brighten, to strengthen, to refine, or to form a single living spirit, never enters into our estimate of advantages. By John Ruskin Strengthen Refine Cities Louder Blast

On the whole, it is patience which makes the final difference between those who succeed or fail in all things. All the greatest people have it in an infinite degree, and among the less, the patient weak ones always conquer the impatient strong. By John Ruskin Things Patience Makes Final Difference

Life being very short, and the quiet hours of it few, we ought to waste none of them in reading valueless books. By John Ruskin Life Short Books Quiet Hours

No lying knight or lying priest ever prospered in any age, but especially not in the dark ones. Men prospered then only in following an openly declared purpose, and preaching candidly beloved and trusted creeds. By John Ruskin Lying Age Prospered Knight Priest

Greatness is not a teachable nor gainable thing, but the expression of the mind of a God-made great man. By John Ruskin Godmade Greatness Thing Man Teachable

Modern traveling is not traveling at all; it is merely being sent to a place, and very little different from becoming a parcel. By John Ruskin Modern Place Parcel Traveling

The art of drawing which is of more real importance to the human race than that of writing ... should be taught to every child just as writing is. By John Ruskin Writing Art Drawing Real Importance

I will not kill or hurt any living creature needlessly, nor destroy any beautiful thing, but will strive to save and comfort all gentle life, and guard and perfect all natural beauty upon the earth. By John Ruskin Needlessly Thing Life Earth Kill

It is impossible to tell you the perfect sweetness of the lips and closed eyes, nor the solemnity of the seal of death which is set upon the whole figure. It is, in every way, perfecttruth itself, but truth selected with inconceivable refinement of feeling. By John Ruskin Eyes Figure Impossible Perfect Sweetness

You were made for enjoyment, and the world was filled with things which you will enjoy, unless you are too proud to be pleased with them, or too grasping to care for what you can not turn to other account than mere delight. By John Ruskin Enjoyment Enjoy Delight Made World

Education is the leading human souls to what is best, and making what is best out of them; and these two objects are always attainable together, and by the same means; the training which makes man happiest in themselves also makes them most serviceable to others. By John Ruskin Makes Education Leading Human Souls

A splendour of miscellaneous spirits. By John Ruskin Spirits Splendour Miscellaneous

The names of great painters are like passing-bells: in the name of Velasquez you hear sounded the fall of Spain; .in the name of Titian, that of Venice; in the name of Leonardo, that of Milan; in the name of Raphael, that of Rome. And there is profound justice in this, for in proportion to the nobleness of the power is the guilt of its use for purposes vain or vile; and hitherto the greater the art, the more surely has it been used, and used solely, for the decoration of pride or the provoking of sensuality. By John Ruskin Spain Titian Venice Leonardo Milan

The common practice of keeping up appearances with society is a mere selfish struggle of the vain with the vain. By John Ruskin Vain Common Practice Keeping Appearances

All traveling becomes dull in exact proportion to its rapidity. By John Ruskin Rapidity Traveling Dull Exact Proportion

Education ... is a painful, continual and difficult work to be done in kindness, by watching, by warning, ... by praise, but above all by example. By John Ruskin Education Painful Continual Kindness Watching

I tell you (dogmatically, if you like to call it so, knowing it well) a square inch of man's engraving is worth all the photographs that were ever dipped in acid ... Believe me, photography can do against line engraving just what Madame Tussaud's wax-work can do against sculpture. That and no more. (1865) By John Ruskin Dogmatically Knowing Acid Engraving Call

God will put up with a great many things in the human heart, but there is one thing that He will not put up with in ita second place. He who offers God a second place, offers Him no place. By John Ruskin Place Put God Heart Great

The man who can see all gray, and red, and purples in a peach, will paint the peach rightly round, and rightly altogether. But the man who has only studied its roundness may not see its purples and grays, and if he does not will never get it to look like a peach; so that great power over color is always a sign of large general art-intellect. By John Ruskin Rightly Peach Man Red Round

There is no solemnity so deep, to a right-thinking creature, as that of dawn. By John Ruskin Deep Creature Dawn Solemnity Rightthinking

In general, when the imagination is at all noble, it is irresistible, and therefore those who can at all resist it ought to resist it. Be a plain topographer if you possibly can; if Nature meant you to be anything else, she will force you to it; but never try to be a prophet. By John Ruskin Resist General Noble Irresistible Imagination

It is a matter of the simplest demonstration, that no man can be really appreciated but by his equal or superior. By John Ruskin Demonstration Superior Matter Simplest Man

What does cookery mean? It means the knowledge of Medea and of Circe,and of Calypso, and Sheba. It means knowledge of all herbs, and fruits, andbalms and spices ... It means the economy of your great-grandmother and thescience of modern chemistry, and French art, and Arabian hospitality. Itmeans, in fine, that you are to see imperatively that everyone has somethingnice to eat. By John Ruskin Cookery Knowledge Calypso Sheba Medea

Education does not mean teaching people what they do not know. It means teaching them to behave as they do not behave. By John Ruskin Education Teaching People Behave

Bread of flour is good; but there is bread, sweet as honey, if we would eat it, in a good book. By John Ruskin Sweet Honey Book Bread Good

Many thoughts are so dependent upon the language in which they are clothed that they would lose half their beauty if otherwise expressed. By John Ruskin Expressed Thoughts Dependent Language Clothed

Modern science gives lectures on botany, to show there is no such thing as a flower; on humanity, to show there is no such thing as a man; and on theology, to show there is no such thing as a God. No such thing as a man, but only a mechanism, No such thing as a God, but only a series of forces. By John Ruskin Thing Show God Man Modern

Everything that you can see in the world around you presents itself to your eyes only as an arrangement of patches of different colors. By John Ruskin Colors World Presents Eyes Arrangement

Your art is to be the praise of something that you love. It may only be the praise of a shell or a stone. By John Ruskin Praise Love Art Stone Shell

It is not the weariness of mortality, but the strength of divinity, which we have to recognize in all mighty things; and that is just what we now never recognize, but think that we are to do great things by help of iron bars and perspiration. Alas! we shall do nothing that way but lose some pounds of our own weight. By John Ruskin Recognize Things Mortality Divinity Perspiration

One evening, when I was yet in my nurse's arms, I wanted to touch the tea urn, which was boiling merrily ... My nurse would have taken me away from the urn, but my mother said "Let him touch it." So I touched it - and that was my first lesson in the meaning of liberty. By John Ruskin Urn Nurse Evening Arms Merrily

Come, ye cold winds, at January's call, On whistling wings, and with white flakes bestrew The earth. By John Ruskin January Winds Call Wings Earth

The scholar is early acquainted with every department of the impossible. By John Ruskin Impossible Scholar Early Acquainted Department

The wisest men are wise to the full in death. By John Ruskin Death Wisest Men Wise Full

Absolute ugliness is admitted as rarely as perfect beauty; but degrees of it more or less distinct are associated with whatever has the nature of death and sin, just as beauty is associated with what has the nature of virtue and of life. By John Ruskin Nature Beauty Absolute Sin Life

If only the Geologists would let me alone, I could do very well, but those dreadful Hammers! I hear the clink of them at the end of every cadence of the Bible verses By John Ruskin Hammers Geologists Dreadful Bible Verses

The fact of our deriving constant pleasure from whatever is a type or semblance of divine attributes, and from nothing but that which is so, is the most glorious of all that can be demonstrated of human nature; it not only sets a great gulf of specific separation between us and the lower animals, but it seems a promise of a communion ultimately deep, close, and conscious, with the Being whose darkened manifestations we here feebly and unthinkingly delight in. By John Ruskin Close Attributes Nature Animals Deep

We were not sent into this world to do anything into which we cannot put our hearts. By John Ruskin Hearts World Put

There is no process of amalgamation by which opinions, wrong individually, can become right merely by their multitude. By John Ruskin Opinions Wrong Individually Multitude Process

I have not written in vain if I have heretofore done anything towards diminishing the reputation of the Renaissance landscape painting. By John Ruskin Renaissance Painting Written Vain Heretofore

Do not think it wasted time to submit yourself to any influence that will bring upon you any noble feeling. By John Ruskin Feeling Wasted Time Submit Influence

In mortals there is a care for trifles which proceeds from love and conscience, and is most holy; and a care for trifles which comes of idleness and frivolity, and is most base. And so, also, there is a gravity proceeding from thought, which is most noble; and a gravity proceeding from dulness and mere incapability of enjoyment, which is most base. By John Ruskin Care Trifles Base Conscience Holy

Lately in a wreck of a Californian ship, one of the passengers fastened a belt about him with two hundred pounds of gold in it, with which he was found afterwards at the bottom. Now, as he was sinking- had he the gold? or the gold him? By John Ruskin Californian Gold Ship Bottom Wreck

Levi's station in life was the receipt of custom; and Peter's, the shore of Galilee; and Paul's, the antechambers of the High- Priest, which "station in life" each had to leave, with brief notice. By John Ruskin Priest Peter Galilee Paul High

No art can be noble which is incapable of expressing thought, and no art is capable of expressing thought which does not change. By John Ruskin Expressing Art Thought Change Noble

The measure of any great civilization is its cities and a measure of a city's greatness is to be found in the quality of its public spaces, its parks and squares. By John Ruskin Measure Spaces Squares Great Civilization

In health of mind and body, men should see with their own eyes, hear and speak without trumpets, walk on their feet, not on wheels, and work and war with their arms, not with engine-beams, nor rifles warranted to kill twenty men at a shot before you can see them. By John Ruskin Men Body Eyes Hear Trumpets

Reading and writing are not education if they do not help people to be kind to all creatures By John Ruskin Reading Creatures Writing Education People

The Bible is the one Book to which any thoughtful man may go with any honest question of life or destiny and find the answer of God by honest searching. By John Ruskin Bible Book God Honest Searching

Production does not consist in things laboriously made, but in things serviceably consumable; and the question for the nation is not how much labour it employs, but how much life it produces. By John Ruskin Things Production Made Consumable Employs

No good is ever done to society by the pictorial representation of its diseases. By John Ruskin Diseases Good Society Pictorial Representation

Your labor only may be sold, your soul must not. By John Ruskin Sold Labor Soul

See that your children be taught, not only the labors of the earth, but the loveliness of it. By John Ruskin Taught Earth Children Labors Loveliness

There is never vulgarity in a whole truth, however commonplace. It may be unimportant or painful. It cannot be vulgar. Vulgarity is only in concealment of truth, or in affectation. By John Ruskin Commonplace Truth Vulgarity Painful Vulgar

Temperance, in the nobler sense, does not mean a subdued and imperfect energy; it does not mean a stopping short in any good thing, as in love and in faith; but it means the power which governs the most intense energy, and prevents its acting in way but as it ought. By John Ruskin Energy Temperance Sense Thing Faith

There was a rocky valley between Buxton and Bakewell?divine as the vale of Tempe; you might have seen the gods there morning and eveningApollo and the sweet Muses of the Light? You enterprised a railroad?you blasted its rocks away? And, now, every fool in Buxton can be at Bakewell in half-an-hour, and every fool in Bakewell at Buxton. By John Ruskin Tempe Light Muses Buxton Bakewell

You talk of the scythe of Time, and the tooth of Time: I tell you, Time is scytheless and toothless; it is we who gnaw like the worm - we who smite like the scythe. It is ourselves who abolish - ourselves who consume: we are the mildew, and the flame. By John Ruskin Time Scythe Toothless Worm Talk

High art consists neither in altering, nor in improving nature; but in seeking throughout nature for 'whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are pure;' in loving these, in displaying to the utmost of the painter's power such loveliness as is in them, and directing the thoughts of others to them by winning art, or gentle emphasis. By John Ruskin Whatsoever Things Art Nature High

Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together. By John Ruskin Fine Hand Head Art Heart

Without seeking, truth cannot be known at all. It can neither be declared from pulpits, nor set down in articles, nor in any wise prepared and sold in packages ready for use. Truth must be ground for every man by itself out of it such, with such help as he can get, indeed, but not without stern labor of his own. By John Ruskin Seeking Truth Pulpits Articles Declared

There is nothing that this age, from whatever standpoint we survey it, needs more, physically, intellectually, and morally, than thorough ventilation. By John Ruskin Physically Intellectually Age Morally Ventilation

The world is full of vulgar Purists, who bring discredit on all selection by the silliness of their choice; and this the more, because the very becoming a Purist is commonly indicative of some slight degree of weakness, readiness to be offended, or narrowness of understanding of the ends of things. By John Ruskin Purists Purist Choice Weakness Readiness

To cultivate sympathy you must be among living creatures, and thinking about them; and to cultivate admiration, you must be among beautiful things and looking at them. By John Ruskin Cultivate Creatures Admiration Sympathy Living

It is in this power of saying everything, and yet saying nothing too plainly, that the perfection of art consists. By John Ruskin Plainly Consists Power Perfection Art

To banish imperfection is to destroy expression, to check exertion, to paralyze vitality. By John Ruskin Expression Exertion Vitality Banish Imperfection

If men lived like men indeed, their houses would be temples temples which we should hardly dare to injure, and in which it would make us holy to be permitted to live; and there must be a strange dissolution of natural affection, a strange unthankfulness for all that homes have given and parents taught, a strange consciousness that we have been unfaithful to our fathers honor, or that our own lives are not such as would make our dwellings sacred to our children, when each man would fain build to himself, and build for the little revolution of his own life only. By John Ruskin Strange Make Men Temples Build

Natural abilities can almost compensate for the want of every kind of cultivation, but no cultivation of the mind can make up for the want of natural abilities. By John Ruskin Natural Abilities Cultivation Compensate Kind

To speak and act truth with constancy and precision is nearly as difficult, and perhaps as meretorious, as to speak it under intimidation or penalty By John Ruskin Speak Difficult Meretorious Penalty Act

I am far more provoked at being thought foolish by foolish people, than pleased at being thought sensible by sensible people; and the average proportion of the numbers of each is not to my advantage. By John Ruskin People Thought Advantage Foolish Provoked

It is perhaps the principal admirableness of the Gothic schools of architecture, that they receive the results of the labour of inferior minds; and out of fragments full of imperfectionraise up a stately and unaccusable whole. By John Ruskin Gothic Architecture Minds Principal Admirableness

He only is advancing in life whose heart is getting softer, whose blood warmer, whose brain quicker, whose spirit is entering into living peace. And the men who have this life in them are the true lords or kings of the earth they, and they only. By John Ruskin Softer Warmer Quicker Peace Life

We are only advancing in life, whose hearts are getting softer, our blood warmer, our brains quicker, and our spirits entering into living peace. By John Ruskin Life Softer Warmer Quicker Peace

It is not possible to find a landscape, which if painted precisely as it is, will not make an impressive picture. No one knows, till he has tried, what strange beauty and subtle composition is prepared to his hand by Nature. By John Ruskin Landscape Picture Find Painted Precisely

No human actions ever were intended by the Maker of men to be guided by balances of expediency, but by balances of justice. By John Ruskin Balances Maker Expediency Justice Human

No human face is exactly the same in its lines on each side, no leaf perfect in its lobes, no branch in its symmetry. All admit irregularity as they imply change; and to banish imperfection is to destroy expression, to check exertion, to paralyze vitality. All things are literally better, lovelier, and more beloved for the imperfections which have been divinely appointed, that the law of human life may be Effort, and the law of human judgment, Mercy. By John Ruskin Human Side Lobes Symmetry Face

Of all the affected, sapless, soulless, beginningless, endless, topless, bottomless, topsiturviest, scrannel- pipiest, tongs and boniest doggerel of sounds I ever endured the deadliest of, that eternityof nothing wasthe deadliest. By John Ruskin Sapless Soulless Beginningless Endless Topless

The first test of a truly great man is his humility. By humility I don't mean doubt of his powers or hesitation in speaking his opinion, but merely an understanding of the relationship of what he can say and what he can do. By John Ruskin Humility Test Great Man Opinion

When the whole world turns clown, and paints itself red with its own hearts blood instead of vermilion, it is something else than comic. By John Ruskin Clown Vermilion Comic World Turns

The entire object of true education is to make people not merely do the right things, but enjoy the right things - not merely industrious, but to love industry - not merely learned, but to love knowledge - not merely pure, but to love purity - not merely just, but to hunger and thirst after justice. By John Ruskin Things Love Industrious Industry Learned

Let us then understand at once that change or variety is as much a necessity to the human heart and brain in buildings as in books; that there is no merit, though there is some occasional use, in monotony; and that we must no more expect to derive either pleasure or profit from an architecture whose ornaments are of one pattern, and whose pillars are of one proportion, than we should of a universe in which the clouds were all of one shape, and the trees all of one shape. By John Ruskin Shape Books Merit Monotony Pattern

It is far more difficult to be simple than to be complicated; far more difficult to sacrifice skill and easy execution in the proper place, than to expand both indiscriminately. By John Ruskin Difficult Complicated Place Indiscriminately Simple

An infinitude of tenderness is the chief gift and inheritance of all truly great men. By John Ruskin Men Infinitude Tenderness Chief Gift

He thinks by infection, catching an opinion like a cold. By John Ruskin Infection Catching Cold Opinion

Nearly all the powerful people of this age are unbelievers, the best of them in doubt and misery, the most in plodding hesitation, doing as well as they can, what practical work lies at hand. By John Ruskin Unbelievers Misery Hesitation Hand Powerful

The whole difference between a man of genius and other men, it has been said a thousand times, and most truly, is that the first remains in great part a child, seeing with the large eyes of children, in perpetual wonder, not conscious of much knowledgeconscious, rather of infinite ignorance, and yet infinite power; a fountain of eternal admiration, delight, and creative force within him meeting the ocean of visible and governable things around him. By John Ruskin Infinite Delight Men Times Child

The actual flower is the plant's highest fulfilment, and are not here exclusively for herbaria, county floras and plant geography: they are here first of all for delight. By John Ruskin Fulfilment Herbaria County Geography Delight

That admiration of the 'neat but not gaudy,' which is commonly reported to have influenced the devil when he painted his tail pea green. By John Ruskin Neat Gaudy Green Admiration Commonly

An artist should be well read in the best books, and thoroughly high bred, both in heart and bearing. In a word, he should be fit for the best society, and should keef out of it. By John Ruskin Books Bred Bearing Artist Read

There is no action so slight or so mean but it may be done to a great purpose, and ennobled thereby. By John Ruskin Purpose Action Slight Great Ennobled

Such help as we can give to each other in this world is a debt to each other; and the man who perceives a superiority or a capacity in a subordinate, and neither confesses nor assists it, is not merely the withholder of kindness, but the committer of injury. By John Ruskin Subordinate Kindness Injury Give World

[For men] to feel their souls withering within them, unthanked, to find their whole being sunk into an unrecognized abyss, to be counted off into a heap of mechanism numbered with its wheels, and weighed with its hammer strokes - this, nature bade not, - this, God blesses not, - this, humanity for no long time is able to endure. By John Ruskin God Unthanked Men Abyss Wheels

It is a good and safe rule to sojourn in every place as if you meant to spend your life there, never omitting an opportunity of doing a kindness, or speaking a true word, or making a friend. By John Ruskin Kindness Word Friend Good Safe

To use books rightly, is to go to them for help; to appeal to them when our own knowledge and power fail; to be led by them into wider sight and purer conception than our own, and to receive from them the united sentence of the judges and councils of all time, against our solitary and unstable opinions. By John Ruskin Rightly Fail Time Opinions Books

Mountains are the beginning and the end of all natural scenery. By John Ruskin Mountains Scenery Beginning End Natural

There is no climate, no place, and scarcely an hour, in which nature does not exhibit color which no mortal effort can imitate or approach. For all our artificial pigments are, even when seen under the same circumstances, dead and lightless beside her living color; nature exhibits her hues under an intensity of sunlight which trebles their brilliancy. By John Ruskin Climate Place Hour Approach Nature

In the utmost solitudes of nature, the existence of hell seems to me as legibly declared by a thousand spiritual utterances as that of heaven. By John Ruskin Nature Heaven Utmost Solitudes Existence

Life is a magic vase filled to the brim, so made that you cannot dip from it nor draw from it; but it overflows into the hand that drops treasures into it. Drop in malice and it overflows hate; drop in charity and it overflows love. By John Ruskin Overflows Life Brim Drop Magic

The Divine mind is as visible in its full energy of operation on every lowly bank and mouldering stone as in the lifting of the pillars of heaven, and settling the foundation of the earth. By John Ruskin Divine Heaven Earth Mind Visible

I have a dog of Blenheim birth,With fine long ears and full of mirth;And sometimes, running o'er the plain,He tumbles on his nose:But quickly jumping up again,Like lightning on he goes! By John Ruskin Blenheim Mirth Running Nose Dog

The power of association is stronger than the power of beauty; therefore, the power of association is the power of beauty. By John Ruskin Power Beauty Association Stronger

It ought to be quite as natural and straightforward a matter for a labourer to take his pension from his parish, because he has deserved well of his parish, as for a man in higher rank to take his pension from his country, because he has deserved well of his country. By John Ruskin Parish Country Pension Deserved Natural

The great cry that rises from all our manufacturing cities, louder than the furnace blast, is all in very deed for this that we manufacture everything there except men. By John Ruskin Cities Louder Blast Men Great

In order that a man may be happy, it is necessary that he should not only be capable of his work, but a good judge of his work. By John Ruskin Work Happy Order Man Capable

When men do not love their hearth, nor reverence their thresholds, it is a sign that they have dishonoured both ... Our God is a house-hold God, as well as a heavenly one; He has an altar in every man's dwelling. By John Ruskin Hearth Thresholds God Men Love

Contrast increases the splendor of beauty, but it disturbs its influence; it adds to its attractiveness, but diminishes its power. By John Ruskin Contrast Beauty Influence Attractiveness Power

There is in every animal's eye a dim image and gleam of humanity, a flash of strange light through which their life looks out and up to our great mystery of command over them, and claims the fellowship of the creature if not of the soul. By John Ruskin Humanity Soul Animal Eye Dim

The virtue of the imagination is its reaching, by intuition and intensity, a more essential truth than is seen at the surface of things. By John Ruskin Reaching Intensity Things Virtue Imagination

Engraving then, is, in brief terms, the Art of Scratch. By John Ruskin Scratch Art Engraving Terms

We have seen when the earth had to be prepared for the habitation of man, a veil, as it were, of intermediate being was spread between him and its darkness, in which were joined in a subdued measure, the stability and insensibility of the earth, and the passion and perishing of mankind. By John Ruskin Earth Man Veil Darkness Measure

A man is one whose body has been trained to be the ready servant of his mind; whose passions are trained to be the servants of his will; who enjoys the beautiful, loves truth, hates wrong, loves to do good, and respects others as himself. By John Ruskin Loves Trained Mind Beautiful Truth

Our purity of taste is best tested by its universality, for if we can only admire this thing or that, we maybe use that our cause for liking is of a finite and false nature. By John Ruskin Universality Nature Purity Taste Tested

All other passions do occasional good; but when pride puts in its word everything goes wrong. By John Ruskin Good Wrong Passions Occasional Pride

They are good furniture pictures, unworthy of praise, and undeserving of blame. By John Ruskin Pictures Unworthy Praise Blame Good

Why is one man richer than another? Because he is more industrious, more persevering and more sagacious. By John Ruskin Man Richer Industrious Sagacious Persevering

Occult Theft,Theft which hides itself even from itself, and is legal, respectable, and cowardly,corrupts the body and soul of man, to the last fibre of them. And the guilty Thieves of Europe, the real sources of all deadly war in it, are the Capitalists By John Ruskin Respectable Occult Legal Man Thefttheft

So long as we see the stones and joints, and are not deceived as to the points of support in any piece of architecture, we may rather praise than regret the dexterous artifices which compel us to feel as if there were fibre in its shafts and life in its branches. By John Ruskin Joints Architecture Branches Long Stones

Every noble life leaves its fibre interwoven forever in the work of the world. By John Ruskin World Noble Life Leaves Fibre

The first duty of a state is to see that every child born therein shall be well housed, clothed, fed and educated till it attains years of discretion. By John Ruskin Clothed Housed Fed Discretion Duty

The true knowledge is disciplined and tested knowledge, - not the first thought that comes, so the true passion is disciplined and tested passion, - not the first passion that comes. The first that come are the vain, the false, the treacherous; if you yield to them they will lead you wildly and far, in vain pursuit, in hollow enthusiasm, till you have no true purpose and no true passion left. Not that any feeling possible to humanity is in itself wrong, but only wrong when undisciplined. By John Ruskin True Disciplined Passion Tested Knowledge

The sculptor must paint with his chisel; half his touches are not to realize, but to put power into, the form. They are touches of light and shadow, and raise a ridge, or sink a hollow, not to represent an actual ridge or hollow, but to get a line of light, or a spot of darkness. By John Ruskin Chisel Half Realize Form Touches

The last act crowns the play. By John Ruskin Play Act Crowns

No nation can last which has made a mob of itself, however generous at heart. By John Ruskin Heart Nation Made Mob Generous

And thus, in full, there are four classes: the men who feel nothing, and therefore see truly; the men who feel strongly, think weakly, and see untruly (second order of poets); the men who feel strongly, think strongly, and see truly (first order of poets); and the men who, strong as human creatures can be, are yet submitted to influences stronger than they, and see in a sort untruly, because what they see is inconceivably above them. This last is the usual condition of prophetic inspiration. By John Ruskin Men Strongly Feel Poets Untruly

Punishment is the last and the least effective instrument in the hands of the legislator for the prevention of crime. By John Ruskin Punishment Crime Effective Instrument Hands

I cannot but think it an evil sign of a people when their houses are built to last for one generation only. By John Ruskin Evil Sign People Houses Built

I would have, then, our ordinary dwelling-houses built to last, and built to be lovely; as rich and full of pleasantness as may be within and without: ... with such differences as might suit and express each man's character and occupation, and partly his history. By John Ruskin Built Lovely Occupation History Ordinary

Taste is not only a part and index of morality, it is the only morality. The first, and last, and closest trial question to any living creature is "What do you like?" Tell me what you like, I'll tell you what you are. By John Ruskin Morality Taste Part Index Closest

The true end of education is not only to make the young learned, but to make them love learning; not only to make them industrious, but to make them love industry; not only to make them virtuous, but to make them love virtue; not only to make them just, but to make them hunger and thirst after justice. By John Ruskin Make Love Learned Learning Industrious

Whether we force the man's property from him by pinching his stomach, or pinching his fingers, makes some difference anatomically; morally, none whatsoever. By John Ruskin Morally Pinching Stomach Fingers Makes

Other men used their effete faiths and mean faculties with a high moral purpose. The Venetian gave the most earnest faith, and the lordliest faculty, to gild the shadows of an antechamber, or heighten the splendours of a holiday. By John Ruskin Purpose Men Effete Faculties High

It is better to lose your pride with someone you love rather than to lose that someone you love with your useless pride. By John Ruskin Lose Love Pride Useless

The relative majesty of buildings depends more on the weight and vigour of their masses than any other tribute of their design. By John Ruskin Design Relative Majesty Buildings Depends

A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small parcel. By John Ruskin Parcel Man Wrapped Makes Small

All great and beautiful work has come of first gazing without shrinking into the darkness. By John Ruskin Darkness Great Beautiful Work Gazing

Science is the knowledge of constant things, not merely of passing events, and is properly less the knowledge of general laws than of existing facts. By John Ruskin Knowledge Science Things Events Facts

Labor rids us of three great evils; tediousness, vice, and poverty. By John Ruskin Tediousness Vice Labor Evils Poverty

No individual rain drop ever considers itself responsible for the flood. By John Ruskin Flood Individual Rain Drop Responsible

No small misery is caused by overworked and unhappy people, in the dark views which they necessarily take up themselves, and force upon others, of work itself. By John Ruskin People Small Misery Caused Overworked

Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts - the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art. By John Ruskin Book Great Manuscripts Deeds Art

No one can ask honestly or hopefully to be delivered from temptation unless he has himself honestly and firmly determined to do the best he can to keep out of it. By John Ruskin Honestly Delivered Temptation Firmly Determined

In my house there is no attempt whatever to secure harmonies of colour, or form, or furniture ... I am entirely independent for daily happiness upon the sensual qualities of form or colour-when I want them I take them either from the sky or from the fields. By John Ruskin Colour Furniture Form House Attempt

A book worth reading is worth owning. By John Ruskin Owning Worth Book Reading

Whatever merit there is in anything that I have written is simply due to the fact that when I was a child my mother daily read me a part of the Bible and daily made me learn a part of it by heart. By John Ruskin Part Bible Daily Heart Merit

Whenever you see want or misery or degradation in this world about you, then be sure either industry has been wanting, or industry has been in error. By John Ruskin Industry Wanting Error Misery Degradation

Life without industry is guilt. Industry without Art is Brutality. By John Ruskin Life Guilt Brutality Industry Art

The time is probably near when a new system of architectural laws will be developed, adapted entirely to metallic construction. By John Ruskin Developed Adapted Construction Time System

Every great person is always being helped by everybody; for their gift is to get good out of all things and all persons. By John Ruskin Great Helped Gift Good Things

In every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong. By John Ruskin Strong Person Good

People cannot live by lending money to one another. By John Ruskin People Live Lending Money

A gentleman's first characteristic is that fineness of structure in the body which renders it capable of the most delicate sensation; and of structure in the mind which renders it capable of the most delicate sympathies; one may say simply fineness of nature. By John Ruskin Structure Renders Capable Fineness Delicate

But I beg you to observe that there is a wide difference between being captains or governors of work, and taking the profits of it. It does not follow, because you are general of an army, that you are to take all the treasure, or land, it wins; (if it fight for treasure or land); neither, because you are king of a nation, that you are to consume all the profits of the nation's work. By John Ruskin Work Profits Land Beg Observe

In old times men used their powers of painting to show the objects of faith, in later times they use the objects of faith to show their powers of painting. By John Ruskin Powers Objects Painting Show Faith

Expression, sentiment, truth to nature, are essential: but all those are not enough. I never care to look at a picture again, if it be ill composed; and if well composed I can hardly leave off looking at it. By John Ruskin Expression Sentiment Truth Nature Essential

Ornamentation is the principal part of architecture, considered as a subject of fine art. By John Ruskin Ornamentation Architecture Considered Art Principal

Greater completion marks the progress of art, absolute completion usually its decline. By John Ruskin Greater Art Absolute Decline Completion

Which of us?is to do the hard and dirty work for the restand for what pay? Who is to do the pleasant and clean work, and for what pay? By John Ruskin Pay Work Hard Dirty Restand

Every increased possession loads us with new weariness. By John Ruskin Weariness Increased Possession Loads

We may live without her, and worship without her, but we cannot remember without her. How cold is all history, how lifeless all imagery, compared to that which the living nation writes, and the uncorrupted marble bears! By John Ruskin Live Worship Remember History Imagery

Obey something, and you will have a chance to learn what is best to obey. But if you begin by obeying nothing, you will end by obeying the devil and all his invited friends. By John Ruskin Obey Chance Learn Obeying Friends

The entire vitality of art depends upon its being either full of truth, or full of use; and that, however pleasant, wonderful, or impressive it may be in itself, it must yet be of inferior kind, and tend to deeper inferiority, unless it has clearly one of these main objects, either to state a true thing, or to adorn a serviceable one. By John Ruskin Full Wonderful Truth Pleasant Kind

Our duty is to preserve what the past has had to say for itself, and to say for ourselves what shall be true for the future. By John Ruskin Future Duty Preserve Past True

What do you suppose makes all men look back to the time of childhood with so much regret (if their childhood has been, in any moderate degree, healthy or peaceful)? That rich charm, which the least possession had for us, was in consequence of the poorness of our treasures. By John Ruskin Childhood Regret Degree Healthy Peaceful

Ship of the line is the most honourable thing that man, as a gregarious animal, has ever produced. By John Ruskin Ship Man Animal Produced Line

I do not believe that ever any building was truly great, unless it had mighty masses, vigorous and deep, of shadow mingled with its surface. By John Ruskin Great Masses Vigorous Deep Surface

At every moment of our lives we should be trying to find out, not in what we differ with other people, but in what we agree with them. By John Ruskin People Moment Lives Find Differ

Large fortunes are all founded either on the occupation of land, or lending or the taxation of labor. By John Ruskin Large Land Labor Fortunes Founded

He that would be angry and sin not, must not be angry with anything but sin. By John Ruskin Angry Sin

Architecture is the work of nations By John Ruskin Architecture Nations Work

Imperfection is in some sort essential to all that we know in life. By John Ruskin Imperfection Life Sort Essential

Men cannot not live by exchanging articles, but producing them. They live by work not trade. By John Ruskin Men Articles Live Exchanging Producing

The object of true education is to make people not merely do the right things, but enjoy them By John Ruskin Things Object True Education Make

You shall have thousands of gold pieces; - thousands of thousands - millions - mountains of gold: where will you keep them? By John Ruskin Millions Thousands Gold Pieces Mountains

I believe that the sight is a more important thing than the drawing ... By John Ruskin Drawing Sight Important Thing

When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package. By John Ruskin Package Man Wrapped Makes Pretty

Beautiful art can only be produced by people who have beautiful things about them. By John Ruskin Beautiful Art Produced People Things

All that we call ideal in Greek or any other art, because to us it is false and visionary, was, to the makers of it, true and existent. By John Ruskin Greek Art Visionary True Existent

Of all the pulpits from which human voice is ever sent forth, there is none from which it reaches so far as from the grave. By John Ruskin Grave Pulpits Human Voice Reaches

Mountains are to the rest of the body of the earth, what violent muscular action is to the body of man. The muscles and tendons of its anatomy are, in the mountain, brought out with force and convulsive energy, full of expression, passion, and strength. By John Ruskin Body Earth Man Rest Violent

Painting with all its technicalities, difficulties, and peculiar ends, is nothing but a noble and expressive language, invaluable as the vehicle of thought, but by itself nothing. By John Ruskin Difficulties Painting Technicalities Ends Language

A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money. By John Ruskin Money Thought Kindness Worth Great

Every good piece of art ... involves first essentially the evidence of human skill, and the formation of an actually beautiful thing by it. By John Ruskin Art Good Piece Involves Skill

Butforme, theAlps and their peoplewerealikebeautiful in their snow, and their humanity; and I wanted, neither for them nor myself, sight of any thrones in heaven but the rocks, or of any spirits in heaven but the clouds. By John Ruskin Heaven Butforme Thealps Snow Humanity

Repose demands for its expression the implied capability of its opposite,energy. By John Ruskin Repose Oppositeenergy Demands Expression Implied

I believe that there is no test of greatness in periods, nations or men more sure than the development, among them or in them, of a noble grotesque, and no test of comparative smallness or limitation, of one kind or another, more sure than the absence of grotesque invention, or incapability of understanding it. By John Ruskin Test Grotesque Periods Nations Development

Whether for life or death, do your own work well. By John Ruskin Death Life Work

The first duty of government is to see that people have food, fuel, and clothes. The second, that they have means of moral and intellectual education. By John Ruskin Fuel Food Clothes Duty Government

In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: they must be fit for it; they must not do too much of it; and they must have a sense of success in it. By John Ruskin Work Needed Order People Happy

Beethoven always sounds to me like the upsetting of a bag of nails, with here and there an also dropped hammer. By John Ruskin Beethoven Nails Hammer Sounds Upsetting

The greatest reward is not what we receive for our labor, but what we become by it. By John Ruskin Labor Greatest Reward Receive

The constant duty of every man to his fellows is to ascertain his own powers and special gifts, and to strengthen them for the help of others. By John Ruskin Gifts Constant Duty Man Fellows

Much of the character of everyman may be read in his house. By John Ruskin House Character Everyman Read

We may, without offending any laws of good taste, require of an architect, as we do of a novelist, that he should be not only correct, but entertaining. By John Ruskin Taste Require Architect Novelist Correct

We require from buildings two kinds of goodness: first, the doing their practical duty well: then that they be graceful and pleasing in doing it. By John Ruskin Goodness Require Buildings Kinds Practical

Music when healthy, is the teacher of perfect order, and when depraved, the teacher of perfect disorder. By John Ruskin