Quotes About Reason

I don't believe in God. I believe in man -- in his strength, his possibilities, and his reason.

Ordinary life goes on--that has saved many a man's reason.

Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with reason and justice.

it has acquired prudence and discretion and orders its life well. Its limitations are those of vision: it has not yet experienced to the full the inspiring force of love. It has not made a full self-oblation, a total self-surrender. Its love is still governed by reason, and so its progress is slow.

The light of reason and civilization was virtually snuffed out by the Barbarian hordes who swarmed across Europe, annihilating everything the Romans had put in place, sacking Rome itself and consigning Europe to the Dark Ages. The Barbarians brought only chaos and ignorance, until the Renaissance rekindled the fires of Roman learning and art. It's a familiar story, but it's codswallop.

What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?

If you've lived only by reasonableness, well, you have missed the show, haven't you?

Average man is arrogant, because he is ever impressed by reason and always bows his head to it. Reason makes us believe that our challenges in life are to be avoided at all costs. This is to be a coward who does not have the self-respect needed in order to honour the marvellous gift of life.

Average man is ever seeking refuge in failure so that he can surrender on the terms of his reason, but it is not possible to fake failure or triumph.

Somebody who thinks logically is a nice contrast to the real world

But such calm considerations do not mould history; it is not reason it is passion alone, that builds for the future.

Our civilization is still in a middle stage, scarcely beast, in that it is no longer wholly guided by instinct; scarcely human, in that it is not yet wholly guided by reason.

A man who lacks reason cheats himself repeatedly.

Human life is a series of mistakes justified by reason; there is no escape from it since the reason is the first mistake born out of a process subsequently understood as the very life by the very reason!

Nature never allows man to understand it, however intelligent he thinks he may be. It tempts his reason by offering an initial success only to seduce and pull him on its side later, once for all. Finally, a man is left to sing the irrational songs of the nature!

Nature takes the decision first, man agrees, reconciles, modifies, refutes, contradicts etc., subsequently. It means the application of reason, the discretionary power of a man, only happens afterwards!

Originally, God was to save individual mind from despair if not disaster, love was an attempt by one mind to possess another mind and justice was a mind's concern for all other minds. In case of the first, mind is too weak and fearful to understand itself. In the second, the nature cripples the reason and over powers human mind! In the third situation, the reason is more evolved and makes the human mind to stand on its own and does what best is possible with respect to other minds!

Spiritualism exits only for individuals. Reason is born when two men interact; addition of more and more members necessitates the spreading of the reason culminating as culture. Hence a culture is as dynamic as the reason. The nature of the reason is the nature of the spirit within for some and instinct for some others.

The conscience is a right mix of instinct, reason and culture. The conscience itself is not a truth but it has an ability to access the truth. But the very conscience is assembled only by the reason.

The greatest intellectual achievement of men should be not only in understanding the importance of the reason, but to consciously and boldly overthrow it as and when the welfare of others' warrants it. Why should anybody think about others welfare? This is because the reason's practical worth is only with respect to others. Instinct is often enough to take care of an individual, but the reason is necessary to meet the societal requirements and also to derive benefits from it.

The usefulness or otherwise of wealth, status and power to a possessor depends only on a single factor: the nature and strength of his reason.

The world is continuously discontinuous. It is continuous for intuition and thinking; discontinuous for reason and observation. The human senses break it down but the unconvinced mind unites it.

And whatsoever thou art not enabled to understand, that commit without anxiety to Almighty God. God deceiveth thee not; he is deceived who believeth too much in himself. God walketh with the simple, revealeth Himself to the humble, giveth understanding to babes, openeth the sense to pure minds, and hideth grace from the curious and proud. Human reason is weak and may be deceived; but true faith cannot be deceived.

Established custom is not easily relinquished, and no man is very easily led to see with the eyes of another. If thou rest more upon thy own reason or experience than upon the power of Jesus Christ, thy light shall come slowly and hardly; for God willeth us to be perfectly subject unto Himself, and all our reason to be exalted by abundant love towards Him.