Of this our true individual life, our present life is a glimpse, a fragment, a hint, and in its best moments a visible beginning.
Category Archive: November 20
I teach at Harvard that the world and the heavens, and the stars are all real, but not so damned real, you see.
The world, as transformed by this creative deed, is better than it would have been had all else remained the same, but had that deed of treason not been done at all.
So far as we live and strive at all, our lives are various, are needed for the whole, and are unique.
If I look to see what I ever did that, for all I now know, some other man might not have done, I am utterly unable to discover the certainly unique deed.
I always get more applause than votes.
Our will makes constantly a sort of agreement with the world, whereby, if the world will continually show some respect to the will, the will shall consent to be strenuous in its industry.
No consensus of men can make an error erroneous. We can only find or commit an error, not create it. When we commit an error, we say what was an error already.
If you want a symbolic gesture, don’t burn the flag; wash it.
I never felt a feeling that I knew or could know to be unlike the feelings of other people. I never consciously thought, except after patterns that the world or my fellows set for me.