Quotation
...error by equal temperament and leave common sense to make the correction in philosophy which the ear does instantaneously and involuntarily in music.
Hedging the Cuckoo
People will still keep trying to find some formula that shall hedge- in the cuckoo of mental phenomena to their satisfaction. Half the books--nay, all of them that deal with thought and its ways in the academic spirit--are but so many of these hedges in various stages of decay.
God and Philosophies
All philosophies, if you ride them home, are nonsense, but some are greater nonsense than others.
It is perhaps because God does not set much store by or wish to encourage them that he has attached such very slender rewards to them.
Common Sense, Reason and Faith
Reason is not the ultimate test of truth nor is it the court of first instance.
For example: A man questions his own existence; he applies first to the court of mother-wit and is promptly told that he exists; he appeals next to reason and, after some wrangling, is told that the matter is very doubtful; he... Butler, Samuel
Excerpt from The Note-Books of Samuel Butler · This quote is filed under Philosophers and Philosophy · Search on Google Books to find all references and sources for this quotation · Tell us if you know any facts or errors in this quote · Make a shirt with this quote on our USA or UK shop · Help your friends discover QB
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All philosophies, if you ride them home, are nonsense, but some are greater nonsense than others.