“My purpose is to explain, not the meaning of words, but the nature of things.”

— Baruch Spinoza, Ethics, 1677, Part III, Def. XX

About Baruch Spinoza

1632 – 1677

Dutch philosopher, author of the "Ethics".

“All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare.”

“A free man thinks of death least of all things; and his wisdom is a meditation not of death but of life.”

“Extreme pride or dejection indicates extreme ignorance of self.”

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”