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Quotes from Literary and Historical Miscellanies — George Bancroft

1800–1891 United States

← All quotes by George Bancroft

15 quotes

The exact measure of the progress of civilization is the degree in which the intelligence of the common mind has prevailed over wealth and brute force.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

The prejudices of ignorance are more easily removed than the prejudices of interest; the first are blindly adopted; the second wilfully preferred.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

The progress of man consists in this, that he himself arrives at the perception of truth.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

By common consent grey hairs are a crown of glory; the only object of respect that can never excite envy.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

The best government rests on the people and not on the few, on persons and not on property, on the free development of public opinion and not on authority.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

Ennui is the desire of activity without the fit means of gratifying the desire.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

Sedition is bred in the lap of luxury and its chosen emissaries are the beggared spendthrift and the impoverished libertine.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

The glory of God is not contingent on man's good will, but all existence subserves his purposes.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

No science has been reached, no thought generated, no truth discovered, which has not from all time existed potentially in every human mind.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

The relation of good to evil is from the beginning, and is unalterable.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

The universe is the reflex and image of its Creator.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

It is when the hour of conflict is over, that history comes to a right understanding of the strife, and is ready to exclaim: "Lo! God is here, and we knew it not."

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

Harmony is the characteristic of the intellectual system of the universe; and immutable laws of moral existence must pervade all time and all space, all ages and all worlds.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

They speak falsely who say that truth is the daughter of time; it is the child of eternity, and as old as the Divine mind. The perception of it takes place in the order of time; truth itself knows nothing of the succession of ages.

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

Truth is not exciting enough to those who depend on the characters and lives of their neighbors for all their amusement; and if a story is told of more than common interest, ennui is sure to have its joy in adding embellishments. If hours did not hang heavy, what would become of scandal?

Literary and Historical Miscellanies (1855)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: George Bancroft (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.