What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.

action doing belief thinking consequences

About John Ruskin

Portrait of John Ruskin

John Ruskin (8 February 1819 – 20 January 1900) was an English polymath – a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, political economy, education, museology, geology, botany, ornithology, literature, history, and myth.

More quotations from John Ruskin

The sky is the part of creation in which nature has done for the sake of pleasing man.

Let every dawn be to you as the beginning of life, and every setting sun be to you as its close.

Art is not a study of positive reality, it is the seeking for ideal truth.

Do justice to your brother (you can do that, whether you love him or not), and you will come to love him. But do injustice to him because you don't love him, and you will come to hate him.

In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: they must be fit for it; they must not do too much of it; and they must have a sense of success in it . . . a sure sense that so much work has been done well, and fruitfully done, whatever the world may say or think about it.

success happiness work need

More quotations tagged with “consequences”

Because life is like that, isn't it? If you thought of all the tiny things that divert your path one way or another, some good, some bad, you'd never do anything ever again. And some people don't. Some people go through life not really deciding to do much, not wanting to, always too fearful of the consequences to try something new. Of course, that in itself is also a decision.

—Jenny Colgan in The Bookshop on the Corner

life good consequences deciding

The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequence of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.

—Margaret Mead

politics USA laws consequences

It is the people who have no say in making wars who suffer most from the consequences of them.

—Philippa Carr

war power poverty suffering consequences control

In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments — there are consequences.

—R. D. Ingersoll

nature consequences punishment reward

You can’t be responsible for anyone but you. We all make our own decisions, and pay our own consequences. You can love someone, but you can’t fix them.

—Lyla Payne in By Referral Only

love decisions consequences