A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.

Quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

Topics: Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr Quotes

As life is action and passion, it is required of a man that he should...

As life is action and passion, it is required of a man that he should...

Certitude is not the test of certainty. We have been cocksure of many things that...

Certitude is not the test of certainty. We have been cocksure of many things that...

There is no friend like an old friend who has shared our morning days, no...

There is no friend like an old friend who has shared our morning days, no...

You make me chuckle when you say that you are no longer young, that you...

You make me chuckle when you say that you are no longer young, that you...

I have no respect for the passion of equality, which seems to me merely idealizing...

I have no respect for the passion of equality, which seems to me merely idealizing...

Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether it is...

Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether it is...

Life is action and passion; therefore, it is required of a man that he should...

Life is action and passion; therefore, it is required of a man that he should...

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at the touch, nay, you...

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at the touch, nay, you...

Most of the things we do, we do for no better reason than that our...

Most of the things we do, we do for no better reason than that our...

You commit a sin of omission if you do not utilize all the power that...

You commit a sin of omission if you do not utilize all the power that...

It seems to me that at this time we need education in the obvious more...

It seems to me that at this time we need education in the obvious more...

A new and valid idea is worth more than a regiment and fewer men can...

A new and valid idea is worth more than a regiment and fewer men can...

To have doubted one's own first principles is the mark of a civilized man.

To have doubted one's own first principles is the mark of a civilized man.

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you...

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you...

Young man, the secret of my success is that an early age I discovered that...

Young man, the secret of my success is that an early age I discovered that...

Carve every word before you let it fall.

Carve every word before you let it fall.

Don't be 'consistent,' but be simply true.

Don't be 'consistent,' but be simply true.

Every event that a man would master must be mounted on the run, and no...

Every event that a man would master must be mounted on the run, and no...

The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye. The more light...

The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye. The more light...

The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins.

The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins.