James Fitzjames Stephen Quotes

Thus hope, aided by imagination, makes one man a hero, another a somnambulist, and a third a lunatic; while it renders them all enthusiasts.

To try to make men equal by altering social arrangements is like trying to make the cards of equal value by shuffling the pack.

Not only are the varieties of morality innumerable, but some of them are conflicting with each other.

The things which cannot be adequately represented by words are more important than those which can.

Wisdom may be the ultimate arbiter, but is seldom the immediate agent in human affairs.

Originally consists in thinking for yourself, and not in thinking unlike other people.

Persuasion, indeed, is a kind of force. It consists in showing a person the consequences of his actions. It is, in a word, force applied through the mind.

A liberal conservative is a man who thinks things ought to progress but would rather they remained as they are.

Power and courtly influence form an intoxicating draught even when raised to the lips of an ascetic and a saint.