Desiderius Gerhard Erasmus Quotes, Quotations, and Sayings

20 Famous Quotes by Desiderius Gerhard Erasmus
[1-20] 
“Of two evils choose the least. [Lat., E duobus malis minimum eligendum.]”
Proverbs Quotes
Source: Adages
“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. [Lat., In regione caecorum rex est luscus.]”
Proverbs Quotes
Source: Adagia (III, IV, 96)
“An angelic boyhood becomes a Satanic old age. [Lat., Angelicus juvenis senibus satanizat in annis.]”
Proverbs Quotes
Source: Fam. Coll., quoted as a proverb invented by Satan
“He touches nothing but he adds a charm.”
Proverbs Quotes
Source: Fam. Coll., quoted as a proverb invented by Satan
“It is the worst of madness to learn what has to be unlearnt. [Lat., Extremae est dementiae discere dediscenda.]”
Learning Quotes
Source: De Ratione Studii
“Of two evils choose the least. [Lat., E duobus malis minimum eligendum.]”
Evil Quotes
Source: Adages
“(Julian would learn something) even if he had one foot in the grave. [Lat., Etsi alterum pedem in sepulchro haberem.]”
Grave Quotes
Source: quoting Pomponius, of Julian, original phrase one foot in the ferry boat, Charon's boat
“The camel set out to get him horns and was shorn of his ears. [Lat., Camelus desiderans cornua etiam aures perdidit.]”
Failure Quotes
Source: Adagia--Chil (III, cent. V, 8, heading)
“It is a good part of sagacity to have known the foolish desires of the crowd and their unreasonable notions. [Lat., Bona prudentiae pars est nosse stultas vulgi cupiditates, et absurdas opiniones.]”
Public Quotes
Source: De Utilitate Colloquiorum--Preface
“Classes and masses.”
Public Quotes
Source: De Utilitate Colloquiorum--Preface
“Betwixt the devil and the deep sea.”
Choice Quotes
Source: Adagia (ch. III, cent. VI, 94), quoted from the Greek
“Between the victim and the stone knife. [Lat., Inter sacrum et sazim.]”
Choice Quotes
Source: Letter to Pirkheimer
“Submit or resign. [Lat., Se soumettre ou se demettre.]”
Choice Quotes
Source: Letter to Pirkheimer
“An angelic boyhood becomes a Satanic old age. [Lat., Angelicus juvenis senibus satanizat in annis.]”
Youth Quotes
Source: Fam. Coll., quoted as a proverb invented by Satan
“I don't like your way of conditioning and contracting with the saints. Do this and I'll do that! Here's one for t'other. Save me and I'll give you a taper or go on a pilgrimage.”
Worship Quotes
Source: The Shipwreck
“We call a fig a fig, and a skiff a skiff. [Lat., Ficum vocamus ficum, et scapham scapham.]”
Names Quotes
Source: Colloquy--Philetymus et Pseudocheus
“Oh, dense intelligence. I suspect that it was Batavian (i.e. from the Netherlands-Batavia.) [Lat., O crassum ingenium. Suspicor fuisse Batavum.]”
Countries Quotes
Source: Naufragium
“A nail is driven out by another nail, habit is overcome by habit. [Lat., Clavus clavo pellitur, consuetudo consuetudine vincitur.]”
Habit Quotes
Source: Diluculum
“We sow our thoughts, and we reap our actions; we sow our actions, and we reap our habits; we sow our habits, and we reap our characters; we sow our characters, and we reap our destiny.”
Habit Quotes
Source: Diluculum
“From hence, no question, has sprung an observation . . . confirmed now into a settled opinion, that some long experienced souls in the world, before their dislodging, arrive to the height of prophetic spirit.”
Prophecy (prophesy) Quotes
Source: Praise of Folly, (old translation)