John Ruskin Quotes - Page 24

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If some people really see angels where others see only empty space, let them paint the angels: only let not anybody else think they can paint an angel too, on any calculated principles of the angelic.

John Ruskin

Angel, Thinking, Space

John Ruskin “Works: Modern painters”

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To follow art for the sake of being a great man, and therefore to cast about continually for some means of achieving position or attracting admiration, is the surest way of ending in total extinction.

John Ruskin

Art, Mean, Men

John Ruskin (1935). “Modern Painters”

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A splendour of miscellaneous spirits.

John Ruskin

Venice, Spirit, Splendour

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It is far more difficult to be simple than to be complicated; far more difficult to sacrifice skill and easy execution in the proper place, than to expand both indiscriminately.

John Ruskin

Sacrifice, Simple, Skills

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A great thing can only be done by a great person; and they do it without effort.

John Ruskin

Greatness, Effort, Done

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I tell you (dogmatically, if you like to call it so, knowing it well) a square inch of man's engraving is worth all the photographs that were ever dipped in acid... Believe me, photography can do against line engraving just what Madame Tussaud's wax-work can do against sculpture. That and no more. (1865)

John Ruskin

Photography, Believe, Men

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

John Ruskin

Teacher, Money, Artist

John Ruskin (1868). “pt. VI: Of leaf beauty. pt. VII: Of cloud beauty. pts. VIII-IX: Of ideas of relation”, p.363

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

John Ruskin

Race, Effort, Praise

John Ruskin (2008). “The Lamp of Memory”, p.43, Penguin UK

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The spirit needs several sorts of food of which knowledge is only one.

John Ruskin

Needs, Spirit

John Ruskin (2015). “The Stones of Venice”, p.86, John Ruskin

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Men were not intended to work with the accuracy of tools, to be precise and perfect in all their actions.

John Ruskin

Men, Perfect, Tools

John Ruskin (1853). “The Stones of Venice: The sea-stories”, p.161

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Drawing is a means of obtaining and communicating knowledge

John Ruskin

Mean, Drawing, Communicate

John Ruskin (2015). “A Joy Forever”, p.126, John Ruskin

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If we pretend to have reached either perfection or satisfaction, we have degraded ourselves and our work. God's work only may express that, but ours may never have that sentence written upon it, Behold it was very good.

John Ruskin

Perfection, May, Satisfaction

John Ruskin (1854). “On the nature of Gothic architecture: and herein of the true functions of the workman in art. Being the greater part of the 6th chapter of the 2nd vol. of 'Stones of Venice'. [48 p.].”, p.19

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Why is one man richer than another? Because he is more industrious, more persevering and more sagacious.

John Ruskin

Men, Wealth, One Man

John Ruskin, Louisa Caroline Tuthill (1872). “The True and the Beautiful in Nature, Art, Morals, and Religion, Selected from the Works of John Ruskin”, p.408

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

John Ruskin

Devil, Tails, Green

John Ruskin (2010). “The Poetry of Architecture - Cottage, Villa, Etc - To Which Is Added Suggestions on Works of Art”, p.161, Orchard Press

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Butforme, theAlps and their peoplewerealikebeautiful in their snow, and their humanity; and I wanted, neither for them nor myself, sight of any thrones in heaven but the rocks, or of any spirits in heaven but the clouds.

John Ruskin

Clouds, Rocks, Sight

1851-3 The Stones ofVenice, vol.i, ch.2.

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When the whole world turns clown, and paints itself red with its own hearts blood instead of vermilion, it is something else than comic.

John Ruskin

War, Heart, Blood

John Ruskin, John D. Rosenberg (1964). “The Genius of John Ruskin: Selections from His Writings”, p.278, University of Virginia Press

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There is nothing that this age, from whatever standpoint we survey it, needs more, physically, intellectually, and morally, than thorough ventilation.

John Ruskin

Age, Needs, Thorough

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It is perhaps the principal admirableness of the Gothic schools of architecture, that they receive the results of the labour of inferior minds; and out of fragments full of imperfectionraise up a stately and unaccusable whole.

John Ruskin

School, Mind, Architecture

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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.

John Ruskin

Cadence, Hammers, Bible Verse

Thomas Carlyle, John Ruskin, George Allan Cate (1982). “The Correspondence of Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin”, p.14, Stanford University Press

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Imaginary evils soon become real one by indulging our reflections on them.

John Ruskin

Real, Reflection, Evil

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

John Ruskin

Perfect, Way, Humans

John Ruskin, John D. Rosenberg (1964). “The Genius of John Ruskin: Selections from His Writings”, p.183, University of Virginia Press

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It seems a fantastic paradox, but it is nevertheless a most important truth, that no architecture can be truly noble which is not imperfect.

John Ruskin

Important, Noble, Literature

John Ruskin, Frederick William Roe (2013). “Selections and Essays”, p.231, Courier Corporation

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And remember, child, that nothing is ever done beautifully, which is done in rivalship; or nobly, which is done in pride.

John Ruskin

Pride, Done, Rivalry

"The Ethics of the Dust: Ten Lectures to Little Housewives on the Elements of Crystallizaion".

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Cheerfulness is as natural to the heart of a man in strong health as color to his cheek; and wherever there is habitual gloom there must be either bad air, unwholesome food, improperly severe labor, or erring habits of life.

John Ruskin

Life, Happiness, Strong

John Ruskin (1868). “pt. V: Of mountain beauty”, p.328

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Human work must be done honourably and thoroughly, because we are now Men; whether we ever expect to be angels, or were ever slugs, being practically no matter.

John Ruskin

Angel, Men, Political

John Ruskin (1890*). “Fors Clavigera”

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Born: February 8, 1819
Died: January 20, 1900
Occupation: Art critic
Cite this Page: Citation

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