John Lancaster Spalding (1840 – 1916)
First bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria from 1877 to 1908, a notable scholarly writer of the time and, a co-founder of The Catholic University of America.
As we can not love what is hateful, let us accustom ourselves neither to think nor to speak of disagreeable things and persons.
The common prejudice against philosophy is the result of the incapacity of the multitude to deal with the highest problems.
When we know and love the best we are content to lack the approval of the many.
The seeking for truth is better than its loveless possession.
As a brave man goes into fire or flood or pestilence to save a human life, so a generous mind follows after truth and love, and is not frightened from the pursuit by danger or toil or obloquy.
It is the expensiveness of our pleasures that makes the world poor and keeps us poor in ourselves. If we could but learn to find enjoyment in the things of the mind, the economic problems would solve themselves.
Place before thyself the ideal of perfection, not that of happiness, for by doing what makes thee wiser and better, thou shalt find the peace and joy in which happiness consists.
If thou wouldst be interesting, keep thy personality in the background, and be great and strong in and through thy subject.
It is the business of the teacher ... to fortify reason and to make conscience sovereign.
Passion is begotten of passion, and it easily happens, as with the children of great men, that the base is the offspring of the noble.
We have lost the old love of work, of work which kept itself company, which was fair weather and music in the heart, which found its reward in the doing, craving neither the flattery of vulgar eyes nor the gold of vulgar men.
It is the business of culture to make us able to consider with intelligent interest all real opinions, even those we do not and can not accept.
The test of the worth of work is its effect on the worker. If it degrade him, it is bad; if it ennoble him, it is good.
More inspiring and interesting teaching alone can make progress in education possible: for such teaching alone has power to produce greater self-activity, greater concentration of mind, greater desire to learn not only how to get a living, but how to live.
Thought from which no emotion springs is sterile. The knowledge that has no bearing on the conduct of life is vain.
Insight makes argument ridiculous.
When we have attained success, we see how inferior it is to the hope, yearning and enthusiasm with which we started forth in life’s morning.
If thy words are wise, they will not seem so to the foolish: if they are deep the shallow will not appreciate them. Think not highly of thyself, then, when thou art praised by many.
When the crowd acclaims its favorites it applauds itself.
Rules of grammar can not give us a mastery of language, rules of rhetoric can not make us eloquent, rules of conduct can not make us good.