An extravagance is something that your spirit thinks is a necessity.
Bernard WilliamsRead
Virtually the only subject in which one could ever get a scholarship to Oxford or Cambridge was classics. So I went to Oxford to study classics and, unlike Cambridge, it had a philosophy component, and I became completely transported by it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the importance of studying classics and philosophy, as it can deeply engage and transform an individual's intellectual pursuits.
Bernard Williams highlights his experience of studying classics at Oxford, emphasizing that the opportunity to explore philosophy within that discipline profoundly influenced him. This experience underscores the value of engaging with classic texts and philosophical thoughts, suggesting that such studies can be transformative and enlightening for students.
Themes
EducationPhilosophyClassicsOxfordWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the importance of a classical education, one might quote Bernard Williams.
More from Bernard Williams
All quotes →There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.
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Contemporary moral philosophy has found an original way of being boring, which is by not discussing moral issues at all.
Bernard WilliamsRead
The majority of philosophers are totally humorless. That's part of their trouble.
Bernard WilliamsRead
People have been predicting the death of philosophy since the 17th century. When I was a student, people were saying, 'We're in the last days of philosophy.' Then we were told in the '60s it would be replaced by sociology, then by literary criticism.
Bernard WilliamsRead
If we try and fail, we have temporary disappointments. But if we do not try at all, we have permanent regrets.
Bernard WilliamsRead
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I love the ideals of my country. But I hate that we've been so denied any real knowledge of the world and don't have the education to think clearly, so we vote against our economic interest and believe in our most shallow first thoughts of fear and hatred.
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History is admirably dangerous. It is not the soft option. Teachers need to be grown up and brave. Sensitivity is fine, but it stops at the door of honest narrative.
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Pleasant is a rainy winter's day, within doors! The best study for such a day, or the best amusement,—call it which you will,—is a book of travels, describing scenes the most unlike that sombre one
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The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts, but learning how to make facts live.
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Our Creator expects His children everywhere to educate themselves.
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Books are the air I breathe, so I don't notice the seasons.
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