Scientists are peeping toms at the keyhole of eternity.

Æsthetic matters are fundamental 

for the harmonious development 

of both society and the individual.

Ancient sun worshippers believed 

the sun died at the end of the winter solstice 

and then three days later 

it would be reborn 

at the start of its cycle — 

December 25.

It is possible 

that in the remote regions of the fixed stars,

or perhaps far beyond them,

there may be some body absolutely at rest,

but it is impossible to know 

from the positions of bodies to one another in our regions

whether any one of these do not keep the same position

to that remote body.

It follows that absolute rest cannot be determined

from the position of bodies in our region.

My 'fear' is my substance, 

and probably the best part of me.

Life, like a dome of many-coloured glass,

Stains the white radiance of Eternity.

Wisdom is nothing but
a preparation of the soul, 

a capacity, 

a secret art of thinking, feeling and breathing
thoughts of unity 

at every moment of life.

In music 

the passions enjoy themselves.

Art evokes the mystery 

without which 

the world would not exist.

Look deep into nature, 

and then you will understand everything better.

Beauty is that which is simultaneously attractive and sublime.

The universe as we know it 

is a joint product of the observer and the observed.

We cannot observe external things without some degree of thought; 

nor can we reflect upon our thoughts, 

without being influenced in the course of our reflection 

by the things which we have observed.

Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom.

I do not conceive of any reality at all 

as without genuine unity.

The product of the scientific imagination 

is a new vision of relations — 

like that of artistic imagination.

One touch of nature 

makes the whole world kin.

Nothing has such power to broaden the mind 

as the ability to investigate systematically and truly 

all that comes under thy observation in life.

You can't depend on your eyes 

when your imagination is out of focus.

What each must seek in his life never was on land or sea. 

It is something out of his own unique potentiality for experience, 

something that never has been 

and never could have been experienced 

by anyone else.

We live in a wonderful world 

that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. 

There is no end to the adventures that we can have 

if only we seek them with our eyes open.

Separation of the observer
from the phenomenon to be observed
is no longer possible.

For 'tis the mind that makes the body rich

The world as we have created it
is a process of our thinking. 

It cannot be changed
without changing our thinking.

A man has as many social selves 

as there are individuals who recognise him.

The reality we can put into words is never reality itself.

'Pure experience' is the name I gave 

to the immediate flux of life 

which furnishes the material 

to our later reflection 

with its conceptual categories.

What we observe is not nature itself, 

but nature exposed to our method of questioning.

Science at its best 

is an open-minded method of inquiry, 

not a belief system.

Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.

The freethinking of one age 

is the common sense of the next.

Many fires burn below the surface.

Appearances are a glimpse of the unseen.

Experience by itself is not science …

Natural objects, for example, must be experienced 

before any theorising about them can occur.

Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

The greatest strength is gentleness.

Education is not the filling of a bucket, 

but the lighting of a fire.

The aim of art is to represent 

not the outward appearance of things, 

but their inward significance.

The right answer 

is seldom as important as 

the right question.

We live on an island surrounded by a sea of ignorance. 

As our island of knowledge grows, 

so does the shore of our ignorance.

The good life is one 

inspired by love 

and guided by knowledge.

Being deeply loved by someone 

gives you strength, 

while loving someone deeply 

gives you courage.

After your death 

you will be 

what you were 

before your birth.

Nature uses only the longest threads
to weave her patterns, 

so that each small piece of her fabric 

reveals the organisation 

of the entire tapestry.

Each day is a little life: 

every waking and rising a little birth, 

every fresh morning a little youth, 

every going to rest and sleep a little death.

Some things in life are bad they can really make you mad

Other things just make you swear and curse

When you're chewin' on life's gristle, don't grumble give a whistle

And this'll help things turn out for the best

And always look on the bright side of life

Always look on the light side of life

If life seems jolly rotten there's something you've forgotten

And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing

When you're feeling in the dumps don't be silly chumps

Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing

And always look on the bright side of life

Come on, always look on the bright side of life

For life is quite absurd and death's the final word

You must always face the curtain with a bow

Forget about your sin, give the audience a grin

Enjoy it it's your last chance anyhow

So always look on the bright side of death

Just before you draw your terminal breath

Life's a piece of shit when you look at it

Life's a laugh and death's a joke it's true

You'll see it's all a show keep 'em laughing as you go

Just remember that the last laugh is on you

And always look on the bright side of life

Always look on the right side of life

Come on Brian, cheer up

Always look on the bright side of life

Always look on the bright side of life

Worse things happen at sea you know

Always look on the bright side of life

Always look on the bright side of life

Always look on the bright side of life

I feel and think much as you do, 

care about many of the things you care about, 

although most people do not care about them.

The gods had condemned Sisyphus 

to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, 

whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. 

They had thought with some reason 

that there is no more dreadful punishment 

than futile and hopeless labour.

Brian Cleary [26.09.28 – 21.09.13] — Died Of A Broken Heart