Georg C. Lichtenberg

The sure conviction that we could if we wanted to is the reason so many good minds are idle. ”

Here take back the stuff that I am, nature, knead it back into the dough of being, make of me a bush, a cloud, whatever you will, even a man, only no longer make me me. ”

The noble simplicity in the works of nature only too often originates in the noble shortsightedness of him who observes it. ”

We cannot remember too often that when we observe nature, and especially the ordering of nature, it is always ourselves alone we are observing. ”

I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better. ”

The human tendency to regard little things as important has produced very many great things. ”

To err is human also in so far as animals seldom or never err, or at least only the cleverest of them do so. ”

It is almost everywhere the case that soon after it is begotten the greater part of human wisdom is laid to rest in repositories. ”

Prejudices are so to speak the mechanical instincts of men: through their prejudices they do without any effort many things they would find too difficult to think through to the point of resolving to do them. ”

Even truth needs to be clad in new garments if it is to appeal to a new age. ”