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

A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience.

A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience.

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...

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...

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...

Nothing is so commonplace has the wish to be remarkable.

Nothing is so commonplace has the wish to be remarkable.

This is a court of law, young man, not a court of justice.

This is a court of law, young man, not a court of justice.

I despise making the most of one's time. Half of the pleasures of life consist...

I despise making the most of one's time. Half of the pleasures of life consist...

The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in...

The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in...

On the whole, I am on the side of the unregenerate who affirms the worth...

On the whole, I am on the side of the unregenerate who affirms the worth...

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...

A man is usually more careful of his money than of his principles.

A man is usually more careful of his money than of his principles.

To be 70 years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be...

To be 70 years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be...

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...

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...

Any two philosophers can tell each other all they know in two hours.

Any two philosophers can tell each other all they know in two hours.

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...

To be seventy years young is sometimes for more cheerful and hopeful than to be...

To be seventy years young is sometimes for more cheerful and hopeful than to be...

Man's mind, stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions.

Man's mind, stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions.

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...