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.
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All quotes βThere 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.
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The majority of philosophers are totally humorless. That's part of their trouble.
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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.
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If we try and fail, we have temporary disappointments. But if we do not try at all, we have permanent regrets.
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Similar quotes
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A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?
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New insights fail to get put into practice because they conflict with deeply held internal images of how the world works...images that limit us to familiar ways of thinking and acting. That is why the discipline of managing mental models - surfacing, testing, and improving our internal pictures of how the world works - promises to be a major breakthrough for learning organizations.
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Every time you make a rule you take away a choice, and choice, with all of its illuminating repercussions, is the fuel for learning.
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Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. Books, the oldest and the best, stand naturally and rightfully on the shelves of every cottage. They have no cause of their own to plead, but while they enlighten and sustain the reader his common sense will not refuse them. Their authors are a natural and irresistible aristocracy in every society, and, more than kings or emperors, exert an influence on mankind.
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Human intelligence is richer and more dynamic than we have been led to believe by formal academic education.
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