John Ruskin Quotes

Of human work none but what is bad can be perfect in its own bad way.

English artists are usually entirely ruined by residence in Italy.

All true opinions are living, and show their life by being capable of nourishment; therefore of change. But their change is that of a tree not of a cloud.

No small misery is caused by overworked and unhappy people, in the dark views which they necessarily take up themselves, and force upon others, of work itself.

I do not believe that ever any building was truly great, unless it had mighty masses, vigorous and deep, of shadow mingled with its surface.

No amount of pay ever made a good soldier, a good teacher, a good artist, or a good workman.

No day is without its innocent hope.

To do your own work well, whether it be for life or death.

As long as there are cold and nakedness in the land around you, so long can there be no question at all but that splendor of dress is a crime.

Great art is precisely that which never was, nor will be taught, it is preeminently and finally the expression of the spirits of great men.

An artist should be well read in the best books, and thoroughly high bred, both in heart and bearing. In a word, he should be fit for the best society, and should keef out of it.

We are only advancing in life, whose hearts are getting softer, our blood warmer, our brains quicker, and our spirits entering into living peace.

It is better to be nobly remembered than nobly born.

Work first and then rest. Work first, and then gaze, but do not use golden ploughshares, nor bind ledgers in enamel.

For, truly, the man who does not know when to die, does not know how to live.

If only the Geologists would let me alone, I could do very well, but those dreadful Hammers! I hear the clink of them at the end of every cadence of the Bible verses

All books are divisible into two classes: the books of the hours, and the books of all Time.

Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless.

A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small parcel.

Reading and writing are not education if they do not help people to be kind to all creatures

The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something and what it saw in a plain way. To see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion--all in one.

Every increased possession loads us with new weariness.

What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.

All that is good in art is the expression of one soul talking to another and is precious according to the greatness of the soul that utters it.

Fine art is that in which the hand the head and the heart of man go together.

If a book is worth reading it is worth buying.

Sunshine is delicious rain is refreshing wind braces us snow is exhilarating there is no such thing as bad weather only different kinds of good weather.

There is hardly anything in the world that some man can't make a little worse and sell a little cheaper and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey.

God gives us always strength enough and sense enough for everything He wants us to do.

Sunshine is delicious rain is refreshing wind braces us up snow is exhilarating there is really no such thing as bad weather only different kinds of good weather.

When men are rightly occupied their amusement grows out of their work as the color-petals out of a fruitful flower.

I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility.

When love and skill work together expect a masterpiece.

No one can do me any good by loving me I have more love than I need or could do any good with but people do me good by making me love them - which isn't easy.

The greatest efforts of the race have always been traceable to the love of praise as the greatest catastrophes to the love of pleasure.

Endurance is nobler than strength and patience than beauty.

Dream lofty dreams and as you dream so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall at last unveil.

When men are rightfully occupied then their amusement grows out of their work as the color petals out of a fruitful garden.

The weakest among us has a gift however seemingly trivial which is peculiar to him and which worthily used will be a gift also to his race.

When a man is wrapped up in himself he makes a pretty small package.

Shadows are in reality when the sun is shining the most conspicuous thing in a landscape next to the highest lights.

Sometimes gentle sometimes capricious sometimes awful never the same for two moments together almost human in its passions almost spiritual in its tenderness almost Divine in its infinity.

The highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it.

When love and skill work together expect a masterpiece.

It is written on the arched sky it looks out from every star. It is the poetry of Nature it is that which uplifts the spirit within us.

The sky is the part of creation in which nature has done for the sake of pleasing man.

To see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion all in one.

Every great person is always being helped by everybody for their gift is to get good out of all things and all persons.