John Ruskin Quotes - Page 24

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Punishment is the last and the least effective instrument in the hands of the legislator for the prevention of crime.

John Ruskin

Hands, Punishment, Prevention

"Notes on the General Principles of Employment for the Destitute and Criminal Classes". Book by John Ruskin, 1868.

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I wish they would use English instead of Greek words. When I want to know why a leaf is green, they tell me it is coloured by "chlorophyll," which at first sounds very instructive; but if they would only say plainly that a leaf is coloured green by a thing which is called "green leaf," we should see more precisely how far we had got.

John Ruskin

Science, Greek, Wish

John Ruskin (1800). “The Seven Lamps of Architecture: Also, Lectures on Architecture and Painting; The Study of Architecture; Sesame and Lilies; Unto this Last; The Queen of the Air; The Storm-cloud of the Nineteenth Century”

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If only the Geologists would let me alone, I could do very well, but those dreadful Hammers! I hear the clink of them at the end of every cadence of the Bible verses.

John Ruskin

Cadence, Hammers, Bible Verse

Thomas Carlyle, John Ruskin, George Allan Cate (1982). “The Correspondence of Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin”, p.14, Stanford University Press

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There are, indeed, two forms of discontent: one laborious, the other indolent and complaining. We respect the man of laborious desire, but let us not suppose that his restlessness is peace, or his ambition meekness. It is because of the special connection of meekness with contentment that it is promised that the meek shall 'inherit the earth.' Neither covetous men, nor the grave, can inherit anything; they can but consume. Only contentment can possess.

John Ruskin

Ambition, Men, Two

John Ruskin (1860). “Modern Painters: pt. 6. Of leaf beauty. pt. 7. Of Cloud beauty. pt. 8-9. Of ideas of relation”, p.343

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Architecture ... the adaptation of form to resist force.

John Ruskin

Architecture, Adaptation, Form

John Ruskin (1874). “Val D'Arno: Ten Lectures on the Tuscan Art Directly Antecedent to the Florentine Year of Victories”, p.105

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If some people really see angels where others see only empty space, let them paint the angels: only let not anybody else think they can paint an angel too, on any calculated principles of the angelic.

John Ruskin

Angel, Thinking, Space

John Ruskin “Works: Modern painters”

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I tell you (dogmatically, if you like to call it so, knowing it well) a square inch of man's engraving is worth all the photographs that were ever dipped in acid... Believe me, photography can do against line engraving just what Madame Tussaud's wax-work can do against sculpture. That and no more. (1865)

John Ruskin

Photography, Believe, Men

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Taste is the only morality. Tell me what you like and I'll tell you what you are.

John Ruskin

Taste, Ethics, Morality

The Crown of Wild Olive Lecture 2 (1866)

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I have not written in vain if I have heretofore done anything towards diminishing the reputation of the Renaissance landscape painting.

John Ruskin

Landscape Painting, Done, Literature

John Ruskin, John D. Rosenberg (1964). “The Genius of John Ruskin: Selections from His Writings”, p.149, University of Virginia Press

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Men were not intended to work with the accuracy of tools, to be precise and perfect in all their actions.

John Ruskin

Men, Perfect, Tools

John Ruskin (1853). “The Stones of Venice: The sea-stories”, p.161

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No good is ever done to society by the pictorial representation of its diseases.

John Ruskin

Photography, Done, Literature

John Ruskin (1908). “Complete Works of John Ruskin”

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Men don't and can't live by exchanging articles, but by producing them. They don't live by trade, but by work. Give up that foolish and vain title of Trades Unions; and take that of laborers Unions.

John Ruskin

Giving Up, Men, Titles

1880 Open letter to EnglishTrades Unions, 29 Sep.

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Cookery means…English thoroughness, French art, and Arabian hospitality; it means the knowledge of all fruits and herbs and balms and spices; it means carefulness, inventiveness, and watchfulness.

John Ruskin

Art, Food, Mean

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Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become.

John Ruskin

Positive, Dream, Inspiration

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Curran's speech at The Chancellor's Dinner, Mansion House, www.city.ac.uk. April 23, 2014.

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The common practice of keeping up appearances with society is a mere selfish struggle of the vain with the vain.

John Ruskin

Selfish, Struggle, Vanity

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Our duty is to preserve what the past has had to say for itself, and to say for ourselves what shall be true for the future.

John Ruskin

Birthday, Time, Past

John Ruskin (1850). “Modern Painters: pt. 4. Of many things”, p.94

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As long as there are cold and nakedness in the land around you, so long can there be no question at all but that splendor of dress is a crime.

John Ruskin

Land, Long, Dresses

John Ruskin, Louisa Caroline Tuthill (1860). “The True and the Beautiful in Nature, Art, Morals and Religion: Selected from the Works of John Ruskin...”, p.422

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The last act crowns the play.

John Ruskin

Play, Crowns, Lasts

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It does not matter what the whip is; it is none the less a whip, because you have cut thongs for it out of your own souls.

John Ruskin

Cutting, Soul, Doe

John Ruskin (1866). “The Crown of Wild Olive: Three Lectures on Work, Traffic, and War”, p.194

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An artist should be well read in the best books, and thoroughly high bred, both in heart and bearing. In a word, he should be fit for the best society, and should keef out of it.

John Ruskin

Book, Heart, Artist

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To follow art for the sake of being a great man, and therefore to cast about continually for some means of achieving position or attracting admiration, is the surest way of ending in total extinction.

John Ruskin

Art, Mean, Men

John Ruskin (1935). “Modern Painters”

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Whether we force the man's property from him by pinching his stomach, or pinching his fingers, makes some difference anatomically; morally, none whatsoever.

John Ruskin

Men, Differences, Pinching

John Ruskin (1872). “The Two Paths: Being Lectures on Art, and Its Application to Decoration and Manufacture, Delivered in 1858-9”, p.186

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There is a satisfactory and available power in every one to learn drawing if he wishes, just as nearly all persons have the power of learning French, Latin or arithmetic, in a decent and useful degree.

John Ruskin

Latin, Power, Drawing

John Ruskin (1859). “The Elements of Drawing: In Three Letters to Beginners”, p.4

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The world is full of vulgar Purists, who bring discredit on all selection by the silliness of their choice; and this the more, because the very becoming a Purist is commonly indicative of some slight degree of weakness, readiness to be offended, or narrowness of understanding of the ends of things.

John Ruskin

Choices, Understanding, Weakness

John Ruskin (1867). “The Stones of Venice”, p.195

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True taste is forever growing, learning, reading, worshipping, laying its hand upon its mouth because it is astonished, casting its shoes from off its feet because it finds all ground holy.

John Ruskin

Reading, Feet, Hands

John Ruskin (1849). “Of ideas of beauty”, p.25

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Born: February 8, 1819
Died: January 20, 1900
Occupation: Art critic
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