James Anthony Froude Quotes
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I have long been convinced that the Christian Eucharist is but a continuation of the Eleusinian mysteries. St Paul, in using the word teleiois, almost confirms this.
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Thy plain and open nature sees mankind But in appearance, not what they are.
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Women's eyes are rapid in detecting a heart which is ill at ease with itself, and, knowing the value of sympathy, and finding their own greatest happiness not in receiving it, but in giving it, with them to be unhappy is at once to be interesting.
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It may be from some moral obliquity in myself, or from some strange disease; but for me, and I should think too for every human being in whose breast a human heart is beating, to know that one single creature is in that dreadful place would make a hell of heaven itself. And they have hearts in heaven, for they love there.
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Crime is not punished as an offense against God, but as prejudicial to society.
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Nature is not a partisan, but out of her ample treasue house she produces children in infinite variety, of which she is equally the mother, and disowns none of them.
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Age does not make us childish, as some say; it finds us true children.
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Sacrifice is the first element of religion, and resolves itself in theological language into the love of God.
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True greatness is the most ready to recognize and most willing to obey those simple outward laws which have been sanctioned by the experience of mankind.
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Nature is less partial than she appears, and all situations in life have their compensations along with them.
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That which especially distinguishes a high order of man from a low order of man, that which constitutes human goodness, human nobleness, is surely not the degree of enlightenment with which men pursue their own advantage; but it is self-forgetfulness; it is self-sacrifice; it is the disregard of personal pleasure, personal indulgence, personal advantage, remote or present, because some other line of conduct is more right.
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Where nature is sovereign, there is no need of austerity and self-denial.
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Woe to the unlucky man who as a child is taught, even as a portion of his creed, what his grown reason must forswear.
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I cannot think the disputes and jealousies of Heaven are tried and settled by the swords of earth.
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Do you not think that sometimes when matters are at the worst with us, when we appear to have done all which we ourselves can do, yet all has been unavailing, and we have only shown we cannot, not we will not, help ourselves; that often just then something comes, almost as if supernaturally, to settle for us, as if our guardian angel took pity on our perplexities, and then at last obtained leave to help us? And if it be so, then what might only be a coincidence becomes a call of Providence, a voice from Heaven, a command.
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A person possessed with an idea cannot be reasoned with.
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Courage is, on all hands, considered as an essential of high character.
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The practical effect of a belief is the real test of its soundness. Where we find a heroic life appearing as the uniform fruit of a particular mode of opinion, it is childish to argue in the face of fact that the result ought to have been different.
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I think Nature, if she interests herself much about her children, must often feel that, like the miserable Frankenstein, with her experimenting among the elements of humanity, she has brought beings into existence who have no business here; who can do none of her work, and endure none of her favours; whose life is only suffering; and whose action is one long protest against the ill foresight which flung them into consciousness.
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Just laws are no restraint upon the freedom of the good, for the good man desires nothing which a just law will interfere with.
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I think there is a spiritual scent in us which feels mischief coming, as they say birds scent storms.
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Those who seek for something more than happiness in this world must not complain if happiness is not their portion.
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You cannot reason people into loving those whom they are not drawn to love; they cannot reason themselves into it; and there are some contrarieties of temper which are too strong even for the obligations of relationship.
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Our human laws are but the copies, more or less imperfect, of the eternal laws, so far as we can read them.