146 Quotes About Pragmatism

We stand on a mountain pass in the midst of whirling snow and blinding mist, through which we get glimpses now and then of paths which may be deceptive. If we stand still we shall be frozen to death. If we take the wrong road we shall be dashed to pieces. We do not certainly know whether there is any right one. What must we do? 'Be strong and of a good courage.' Act for the best, hope for the best, and take what comes.... If death ends all, we cannot meet death better.

At 1.24 am on 26 April 1986 Chernobyl’s Unit 4 reactor exploded after staff disabled safety systems and performed an ill-advised experiment to check – ironically enough – the reactor’s safety.

The notion of God, on the other hand, however inferior it may be in clearness to those mathematical notions so current in mechanical philosophy, has at least this practical superiority over them, that it guarantees an ideal order that shall be permanently preserved.

Nations, like people, are often more pragmatic than they know or can explain.

Expertness of taste is at once the result and reward of constant exercise of thinking.

When theories of values do not afford intellectual assistance in framing ideas and beliefs about values that are adequate to direct action, the gap must be filled by other means. If intelligent method is lacking, prejudice, the pressure of immediate circumstance, self-interest and class-interest, traditional customs, institutions of accidental historic origin, are not lacking, and they tend to take the place of intelligence.

...this is very nice, cozy. You got a nice cozy place, Lublin.""Cramped," Rosa said."I work from a different theory. For everything, there's a bad way of describing, also a good way. You pick the good way, you go along better.""I don't like to give myself lies," Rosa said."Life is short, we all got to lie.

ففي المسائل الأخلاقية التى نبحث فيها الآن,ترى هذه الفلسفة أن الشعور العميق بالواجب,هذا الأحساس الملزم الذي نحس به تجاه الأمور الأخلاقية,إنما هو نتيجة تقلبات الحياة.ليس هذا الشعور الموجود فينا منبعثاً عن اتصال خفي أو غير خفي بيننا وبين عالم مجهول,وانما هو قد انبنى حجرا على حجرا على مر السنين في الجنس الأنساني,والواقع أن هذه النظرية لاتنطبق على الأخلاق دون سواها,بل تنطبق كذلك على الحق نفسه,فليس للحق وجود مستكمل منذ الأزل,وانما هو يتكون وينبي,وهو في طريق الوجودالآن,انه ينمو,ويترعرع

Design is not for philosophy it's for life.