Quote

The principle of all successful effort is to try to do not what is absolutely the best, but what is easily within our power, and suited for our temperament and condition.

John Ruskin

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

John Ruskin
Age: 80 †
Born: 1819
Born: February 8
Died: 1900
Died: January 20
Aesthetician
Architect
Art Critic
Art Historian
Journalist
Literary Critic
Painter
Philosopher
Poet
Sociologist
University Teacher
Writer
London
England
Kata Phusin
Rŏsŭkʻin
J. Ruskin
John Rosukin
Jon Rasukin
Dzhon Rëskin
Ruskin
Ability
Principle
Power
Easily
Best
Absolutely
Trying
Conditions
Principles
Effort
Suited
Successful
Temperament
Within
Condition

More quotes by John Ruskin

Image
Life is a magic vase filled to the brim, so made that you cannot dip from it nor draw from it but it overflows into the hand that drops treasures into it. Drop in malice and it overflows hate drop in charity and it overflows love.
John Ruskin
Image
We must note carefully what distinction there is between a healthy and a diseased love of change for as it was in healthy love of change that the Gothic architecture rose, it was partly in consequence of diseased love of change that it was destroyed.
John Ruskin
Image
... the weakest among us has a gift, however seemingly trivial, which is peculiar to him, and which, worthily used, will be a gift also to his race forever.
John Ruskin
Image
To speak and act truth with constancy and precision is nearly as difficult, and perhaps as meretorious, as to speak it under intimidation or penalty
John Ruskin
Image
In the range of inorganic nature. I doubt if any object can be found more perfectly beautiful than a fresh, deep snowdrift, seen under warm light.
John Ruskin
Image
If the design of the building be originally bad, the only virtue it can ever possess will be signs of antiquity.
John Ruskin
Image
The constant duty of every man to his fellows is to ascertain his own powers and special gifts, and to strengthen them for the help of others.
John Ruskin
Image
In old times men used their powers of painting to show the objects of faith, in later times they use the objects of faith to show their powers of painting.
John Ruskin
Image
No peace was ever won from fate by subterfuge or argument no peace is ever in store for any of us, but that which we shall win by victory over shame or sin--victory over the sin that oppresses, as well as over that which corrupts.
John Ruskin
Image
He is the greatest artist who has embodied, in the sum of his works, the greatest number of the greatest ideas.
John Ruskin
Image
The art of drawing which is of more real importance to the human race than that of writing...should be taught to every child just as writing is.
John Ruskin
Image
Wherever men are noble, they love bright colour and wherever they can live healthily, bright colour is given them—in sky, sea, flowers, and living creatures.
John Ruskin
Image
In every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong.
John Ruskin
Image
The man who can see all gray, and red, and purples in a peach, will paint the peach rightly round, and rightly altogether. But the man who has only studied its roundness may not see its purples and grays, and if he does not will never get it to look like a peach so that great power over color is always a sign of large general art-intellect.
John Ruskin
Image
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
Image
Men cannot not live by exchanging articles, but producing them. They live by work not trade.
John Ruskin
Image
No one can become rich by the efforts of only their toil, but only by the discovery of some method of taxing the labor of others.
John Ruskin
Image
No good is ever done to society by the pictorial representation of its diseases.
John Ruskin
Image
The common practice of keeping up appearances with society is a mere selfish struggle of the vain with the vain.
John Ruskin
Image
God alone can finish.
John Ruskin