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It was not the "God-intoxicated" philosopher but the hard-headed, not to say hard-hearted, pupil of Machiavelli and philologic-historical critic of the Bible. Orthodoxy could be returned to only if Spinoza was wrong in every respect.

— Leo Strauss Spinoza's Critique of Religion (1965)

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More quotes by Leo Strauss

The problem inherent in the surface of things, and only in the surface of things, is the heart of things.

Thoughts on Machiavelli (1958)

The silence of a wise man is always meaningful.

Thoughts on Machiavelli (1958)

It is of the essence of traditions that they cover or conceal their humble foundations by erecting impressive edifices on them.

Natural Right and History (1953)

It is as absurd to expect members of philosophy departments to be philosophers as it is to expect members of art departments to be artists.

Liberalism: Ancient and Modern (1968)

Philosophizing means, then, to ascend from public dogma to essentially private knowledge.

Natural Right and History (1953)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Leo Strauss (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.