Beauty deprived of its proper foils and adjuncts ceases to be enjoyed as beauty, just as light deprived of all shadows ceases to be enjoyed as light. – John Ruskin
The first duty of government is to see that people have food, fuel, and clothes. The second, that they have means of moral and intellectual education. – John Ruskin
You might sooner get lightning out of incense smoke than true action or passion out of your modern English religion. – John Ruskin
The sky is the part of creation in which nature has done for the sake of pleasing man. – John Ruskin
Throughout the centuries, man has considered himself beautiful. I rather suppose that man only believes in his own beauty out of pride that he is not really beautiful and he suspects this himself for why does he look on the face of his fellow-man with such scorn? – Isidore Ducasse Lautreamont