We live in the age of the overworked, and the under-educated; the age in which people are so industrious that they become absolutely stupid.
The thoroughly well-informed man—that is the modern ideal. And the mind of the thoroughly well-informed man is a dreadful thing. It is like a bric-à-brac shop, all monsters and dust, with everything priced above its proper value.
Education is an admirable thing. But it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught. A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-Educated (1894)
The aim of life is self-development. To realize one’s nature perfectly—that is what each of us is here for. People are afraid of themselves, nowadays. They have forgotten the highest of all duties, the duty that one owes to one’s self. Of course, they are charitable. They feed the hungry and clothe the beggar. But their own souls starve, and are naked.