Famous quotes containing the word erasmus:
“I doubt if a single individual could be found from the whole of mankind free from some form of insanity. The only difference is one of degree. A man who sees a gourd and takes it for his wife is called insane because this happens to very few people.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)
“You’ll see certain Pythagoreans whose belief in communism of property goes to such lengths that they pick up anything lying about unguarded, and make off with it without a qualm of conscience as if it had come to them by law.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)
“Kings have many ears and many eyes.... They have ears that listen a hundred miles from them; they have eyes that espy out more things than men would think. Wherefore, it is wisdom for subjects not only to keep their princes’ laws and ordinances in the face of the world but also privily ... for conscience sake.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)