Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian...
NationalityDutch
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth26 October 1466
jesus-christ made mankind
By a Carpenter mankind was made, and only by that Carpenter can mankind be remade.
two crowns guilty
Luther was guilty of two great crimes - he struck the Pope in his crown, and the monks in their belly.
favors fortune audacious
Fortune favors the audacious.
wisdom overcoming nails
A nail is driven out by another nail. Habit is overcome by habit.
elements want chiefs
The chief element of happiness is this: to want to be what you are.
war people evil
The majority of the common people loathe war and pray for peace; only a handful of individuals, whose evil joys depend on general misery, desire war.
missing-you plato real
What difference is there, do you think, between those in Plato's cave who can only marvel at the shadows and images of various objects, provided they are content and don't know what they miss, and the philosopher who has emerged from the cave and sees the real things?
positive being-yourself men
It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is.
sweet peace war
War is sweet to those who haven't tasted it. Dulce bellum inexpertis.
book library christianity
Do not be guilty of possessing a library of learned books while lacking learning yourself.
caring joy possession
There is no joy in possession without sharing.
men criticism pedants
Nothing is as peevish and pedantic as men's judgments of one another.
inspirational uplifting light
Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.
sacred rage profit
Nowadays the rage for possession has got to such a pitch that there is nothing in the realm of nature, whether sacred or profane, out of which profit cannot be squeezed.