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John Ruskin Biography

John Ruskin (8 February 1819 – 20 January 1900) was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, as well as an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and political economy.

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John Ruskin Quotes

The entire object of true education is to make people not merely do the right things, but enjoy the right things — not merely industrious, but to love industry — not merely learned, but to love knowledge — not merely pure, but to love purity — not merely just, but to hunger and thirst after justice.

Industrious, Justice, Knowledge, Learning, Love, People

The true work of a critic is not to make his hearer believe him, but agree with him.

Agree, Believe, Critics, Make, Work

When we build. . . let it not be for present delights nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for, and let us think. . . that a time is to come when these stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say as they look upon the labor, and the wrought substance of them, See! This our fathers did for us!

Father, Future, Thinking, Build, Look, Labor

Society has sacrificed its virtues to the Goddess of Getting Along.

Getting Along, Goddess, Society, Virtue, Virtues

The first duty of a state is to see that every child born therein shall be well housed, clothed, fed and educated till it attains years of discretion.

Born, Children, Fed, Literature, Therein, Years

Like other beautiful things in this world, its end (that of a shaft) is to be beautiful; and, in proportion to its beauty, it receives permission to be otherwise useless. We do not blame emeralds and rubies because we cannot make them into heads of hammers.

Beautiful, Beauty, Emeralds, Hammers, Like, World

The truths of nature are one eternal change, one infinite variety. There is no bush on the face of the globe exactly like another bush; there are no two trees in the forest whose boughs bend into the same network, nor two leaves on the same tree which could not be told one from the other, nor two waves in the sea exactly alike.

Leaves, Nature, Network, Sea, Two

There is but one question ultimately to be asked respecting every line you draw, Is it right or wrong? If right, it most assuredly is not a "free" line, but an intensely continent, restrained and considered line; and the action of the hand in laying it is just as decisive, and just as "free" as the hand of a first-rate surgeon in a critical incision.

Action, Firsts, Hands, Lines, Question, Wrong

We are foolish, and without excuse foolish, in speaking of the superiority of one sex to the other, as if they could be compared in similar things! Each has what the other has not; each completes the other; they are in nothing alike and the happiness and perfection of both depend on each asking and receiving from the other what the other only can give.

Equality, Excuse, Foolish, Giving, Sex

Science has to do with facts, art with phenomena. To science, phenomena are of use only as they lead to facts; and to art, facts are of use only as they lead to phenomena.

Art, Lead, Science, Use

The question is not what man can scorn, or disparage, or find fault with, but what he can love, and value, and appreciate.

Appreciate, Appreciation, Love, Man, Question, Thank You

Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives, the cumulative experience of many masters of craftsmanship. Quality also marks the search for an ideal after necessity has been satisfied and mere usefulness achieved.

Effort, Intelligent, Intention, Result, Search, Wise

We may, without offending any laws of good taste, require of an architect, as we do of a novelist, that he should be not only correct, but entertaining.

Correct, Law, Novelist, Novelists, Offending, Taste

Science studies the relations of things to each other: but art studies only their relations to man.

Art, Man, Men, Relations, Science

Christian faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows. Standing without you see no glory, nor can possibly imagine any. Nothing is visible but the merest outline of dusky shapes. Standing within all is clear and defined; every ray of light reveals an army of unspeakable splendors.

Army, Christian, Divinely, Grand, Imagine, Light

I am far more provoked at being thought foolish by foolish people, than pleased at being thought sensible by sensible people; and the average proportion of the numbers of each is not to my advantage.

Average, Foolish, Numbers, People, Proportion

I believe that the first test of a great man is his humility. I don't mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.

Believe, Curious, Greatness, Humility, Mean

That admiration of the 'neat but not gaudy,' which is commonly reported to have influenced the devil when he painted his tail pea green.

Commonly, Devil, Green, Reported, Tails

When I have been unhappy, I have heard an opera. . . and it seemed the shrieking of winds; when I am happy, a sparrow's chirp is delicious to me. But it is not the chirp that makes me happy, but I that make it sweet.

Chirp, Destiny, Sweet, Unhappy, Wind

Repose demands for its expression the implied capability of its opposite,--energy.

Demands, Energy, Expression, Opposites, Repose

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