Agnes Repplier

“The soul of a nation is renewed by the austerity of its great ideals.”

“People who cannot recognize a palpable absurdity are very much in the way of civilization.”

“There are few things more wearisome in a fairly fatiguing life than the monotonous repetition of a phrase which catches and holds the public fancy.”

“An historian without political passions is as rare as a wasp without a sting.”

“It is not what we learn in conversation that enriches us. It is the elation that comes of swift contact with tingling currents of thought.”

“The vanity of dogs is sober and laudable, that of cats is nimble and playful.”

“There is an optimism which nobly anticipates the eventual triumph of great moral laws, and there is an optimism which cheerfully tolerates unworthiness.”

“There is nothing in the world so enjoyable as a thorough-going monomania.”

“It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.”

“The gayety of life is grimly earnest.”

“It is impossible to withhold education from the receptive mind, as it is impossible to force it upon the unreasoning.”

“For my own part, I believe that the moral popularization of science is a desirable thing, but I am not sure that it is a possible one.”

“A kitten is the most irresistible comedian in the world.”

“It takes time and trouble to persuade ourselves that the things we want to do are the things we ought to do.”

“We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh.”

“History is not a branch of literature. The facts of history are not truths, but things that are true.”