“The destruction of the foundations necessarily brings down the whole edifice.”

In order to improve the mind, we ought less to learn than to contemplate.

I think; therefore I am.

To live without philosophizing is in truth the same as keeping the eyes closed without attempting to open them.

If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.

Bad books engender bad habits, but bad habits engender good books.

Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it.

Nothing is made from nothing.

To think? That’s it. It is thought. This alone cannot be detached from me. I am, I exist; that is certain.

Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.

To live well is to live concealed.

It is best not to go on for great quest for truth , it will only make you miserable

The dreams we imagine when we are asleep should not in any way make us doubt the truth of the thoughts we have when we are awake.

For to be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough; the prime requisite is rightly to apply it.

For the very fact that my knowledge is increasing little by little is the most certain argument for its imperfection.

At last I will devote myself sincerely and without reservation to the general demolition of my opinions.

I had become aware, as early as my college days, that no opinion, however absurd and incredible can be imagined, that has not been held by one of the philosophers.

The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.

Wonder and humility are wholesome emotions and they do not exist side by side with a lust for destruction.

Our attitude towards plants is a singularly narrow one. If we see any immediate utility in a plant we foster it. If for any reason we find its presence undesirable or merely a matter of indifference, we may condemn it to destruction forthwith.

The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.

The only alternative to coexistence is codestruction.

The poor suffer twice at the rioter’s hands. First, his destructive fury scars their neighborhood; second, the atmosphere of accommodation and consent is changed to one of hostility and resentment.

There is no surer road to destruction than prosperity without character.

Words, like tranquil waters behind a dam, can become reckless and uncontrollable torrents of destruction when released without caution and wisdom.