There are those who never reason on what they should do, but what they have done; as if Reason had her eyes behind, and could only see backwards. Fielding.
There are thousands hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. Thoreau.
There are three classes of authors—those who write without thinking, those who think while writing, and those who think before writing. Schopenhauer.
There are three difficulties in authorship—to 25 write anything worth the publishing, to find honest men to publish it, and to get sensible men to read it. Colton.
There are three material things, not only useful, but essential, to life—pure air, water, and earth; and three immaterial that are equally essential—admiration, hope, and love. Ruskin.
There are three means of believing—by inspiration, by reason, and by custom. Christianity, which is the only rational institution, does yet admit none for its sons who do not believe by inspiration. Pascal.
There are three religions—the religion which depends on reverence for what is above us, denominated the ethnic; the religion which founds itself on reverence for what is around us, denominated the philosophical; the religion grounded on reverence for what is beneath us, which we name the Christian. Goethe.
There are three things in this world which deserve no quarter—hypocrisy, pharisaism, and tyranny. F. Robertson.
There are three things which cause perfection 30 in a man—nature, reason, use. Reason I call discipline; use, exercise. If any one of these branches want, certainly the tree of virtue must needs wither. John Lily.
There are times when silence, if the preacher did but know, / Shall preach to better purpose than a sermon stale and flat. Dr. Walter Smith.