It is impossible, as impossible as to raise the dead, to restore anything that has ever been great or beautiful in architecture. That which I have insisted upon as the life of the whole, that spirit which is given only by the hand and eye of the workman, can never be recalled. – John Ruskin
You might sooner get lightning out of incense smoke than true action or passion out of your modern English religion. – John Ruskin
Bread of flour is good; but there is bread, sweet as honey, if we would eat it, in a good book. – John Ruskin
A great thing can only be done by a great person and they do it without effort. – John Ruskin
Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are God. – Christopher Hitchens