Iain Pears Quotes

The simple fact that something has not been done, is no proof that it cannot be.

Diplomacy and virtue do not make easy companions.

The evil done by men of goodwill is the worst of all ... We have done terrible things, for the best of reasons, and that makes it worse.

The point of civilization is to be civilized; the purpose of action is to perpetuate society, for only in society can philosophy truly take place.

He who profits by villainy, has perpetrated it.

He (William Cort) had some desire to be successful, but it did not burn so strongly in him that he was prepared to overcome his character to achieve it.

Philosophy cannot be extinguished, though men will try ... The spirit seeks the light, that is its nature. It wishes to return to its origin, and must forever try to reach enlightenment.

I learned that I' have to be detached if I was ever to achieve anything at all.

Power without wisdom is tyranny; wisdom without power is pointless.

And a more foolish notion can scarcely be imagined, it being obvious that the reader is only informed of what the writer wishes him to know, and is thus seduced into believing almost anything.

Who you are is less important than what you seem.

The devil himself can become beauty, so we are told, to corrupt mankind." (Marco)

For what are we but our past? If that is lost, we become nothing.

Every cataclysm is welcomed by somebody; there is always someone to rejoice at disaster and see in it the prospect of a new beginning and a better world.

For, in his opinion, to study nature was a form of worship.

Civilization depends on continually making the effort, of never giving in. It needs to be cared for by men of goodwill, protected from the dark.

Do you wish to speak in Provençal, French, or Latin? They are all I can manage, I'm afraid.""Any will do, " the rabbi replied in Provençal."Splendid. Latin it is, " said Pope Clement.

In a world of chemically induced sanity, a little lunacy confers immense advantages.

And here was the moment. The end of it all, for civilization was merely another name for friendship, and friendship was coming to an end.

Caius was one of those who gloried in his ignorance, called his lack of letters purity, scorned any subtlety of thought or expression. A man for his time, indeed.

The devil himself can become beauty, so we are told, to corrupt mankind."(Marco)