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Quotes about thinking

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The man of Humor sees common life, even mean life, under the new light of sportfulness and love; whatever has existence has a charm for him. Humor has justly been regarded as the finest perfection of poetic genius.
Thomas Carlyle1795–1881“Schiller”, first published in Fraser’s Magazine (1831).
- Genius
- Humor
Unreason is to reason as dazzlement is to daylight.
Michel Foucault1926–1984History of Madness (1961)
Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtasked.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.1809–1894The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table (1858), Ch. 2
Minds that have nothing to confer
Find little to perceive.
William Wordsworth1770–1850Yes, Thou art Fair, Yet Be Not Moved, st. 2 (1845)
There is no slavery but ignorance. Liberty is the child of intelligence.
Robert G. Ingersoll1833–1899The Liberty of Man, Woman and Child (1877)
- Intelligence
- Liberty
Logic is a way of saying that anything which didn’t happen yesterday won’t happen tomorrow.
Robert A. Heinlein1907–1988Glory Road (1963)
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it.
Wendell Berry1934–2026“Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” in Farming: A Hand Book (1970)
Mind control is the result of self-discipline and habit. You either control your mind or it controls you.
Napoleon Hill1883–1970Think and Grow Rich (1938)
It is not enough to be in the right place at the right time. You should also have an open mind at the right time.
Paul Erdős1913–1996My Brain Is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos (1998) by Bruce Schechter, p. 99
- Luck
How comes it to pass then, that we appear such Cowards in reasoning, and are so afraid to stand the Test of Ridicule?
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury1671–1713Characteristicks of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times (1711), Vol. 1, p. 11; “A Letter Concerning Enthusiasm”.
- Courage
Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man.
John Steinbeck1902–1968East of Eden (1952), Part 2, Ch. 13. i
- Ideas
The surest defense against Evil is extreme individualism, originality of thinking, whimsicality, even — if you will — eccentricity.
Joseph Brodsky1940–1996“A Commencement Address” (1984), delivered at Williams College; As quoted in: Robert Inchausti (2014) Thinking through Thomas Merton. p. 110
- Good & Evil
If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.
Francis Bacon1561–1626The Advancement of Learning (1605), Book I, v, 8
- Knowledge
Words do not express thoughts very well. They always become a little different immediately after they are expressed, a little distorted, a little foolish.
Hermann Hesse1877–1962Siddhartha (1922)
- Talking
The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos.
H. L. Mencken1880–1956“Le Contrat Social”, in: Prejudices: Third Series (1922)
- Government