770 Quotes by John Ruskin

Occult Theft, – Theft which hides itself even from itself, and is legal, respectable, and cowardly, – corrupts the body and soul of man, to the last fibre of them. And the guilty Thieves of Europe, the real sources of all deadly war in it, are the Capitalists.

Depend upon it, the first universal characteristic of all great art is Tenderness, as the second is Truth.

I want to speak to you about the treasures hidden in books; and about the way we find them, and the way we lose them.

You may assuredly find perfect peace, if you are resolved to do that which your Lord has plainly required – and content that He should indeed require no more of you – than to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him.

So then, men may let their great powers lie dormant, while they employ their mean and petty powers on mean and petty objects; but it is physically impossible to employ a great power, except on a great object.

A nation which lives a pastoral and innocent life never decorates the shepherd’s staff or the plough-handle; but races who live by depredation and slaughter nearly always bestow exquisite ornaments on the quiver, the helmet, and the spear.

When love and skill go together, expect a masterpiece.

Summer is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up, snow is exhilarating; there is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.

When a man is all wrapped up in himself he makes a pretty small package.