John Ruskin

It is the glistening and softly spoken lie; the amiable fallacy; the patriotic lie of the historian, the provident lie of the politician, the zealous lie of the partisan, the merciful lie of the friend, and the careless lie of each man to …

There is nothing so small but that we may honour God by asking His guidance of it, or insult Him by taking it into our own hands.

There is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.

The living inhabitation of the world — the grazing and nesting in it, — the spiritual power of the air, the rocks, the waters, to be in the midst of it, and rejoice and wonder at it, and help it if I could, — happier if it needed no help …

My entire delight was in observing without being myself noticed,— if I could have been invisible, all the better.

Without perfect sympathy with the animals around them, no gentleman's education, no Christian education, could be of any possible use.

In great states, children are always trying to remain children, and the parents wanting to make men and women of them. In vile states, the children are always wanting to be men and women, and the parents to keep them children.

Engraving is, in brief terms, the Art of Scratch.

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

There is but one question ultimately to be asked respecting every line you draw, Is it right or wrong? If right, it most assuredly is not a "free" line, but an intensely continent, restrained and considered line; and the action of the hand …

No small misery is caused by overworked and unhappy people, in the dark views which they necessarily take up themselves, and force upon others, of work itself.

The water which has been refused to the cry of the weary and dying is unholy, though it had been blessed by every saint in heaven; and the water which is found in the vessel of mercy is holy, though it had been defiled with corpses.