The eye, which is called the window of the soul, is the principal means by which the central sense can most completely and abundantly appreciate the infinite works of nature; and the ear is the second, which acquires dignity by hearing of the things the eye has seen.
Philosophy only is the true one which reproduces most faithfully the statements of nature, and is written down, as it were, from nature's dictation, so that it is nothing but a copy and a reflection of nature, and adds nothing of its own, but is merely a repetition and echo.
Nature hides her secret because of her essential loftiness, but not by means of ruse.
The mission of art is not to copy nature, but to express it!
Nature is truth. Art is the highest truth.
Nothing is evil which is according to nature.
Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.
Nature and human life are as various as our several constitutions. Who shall say what prospect life offers to another?
Nature puts no question and answers none which we mortals ask. She has long ago taken her resolution.
The Artist is he who detects and applies the law from observation of the works of Genius, whether of man or Nature. The Artisan is he who merely applies the rules which others have detected.
Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.
It would seem that nature, which has so wisely ordered the organs of our body for our happiness, has also given us pride to spare us the mortification of knowing our imperfections.
If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.
There are unknown forces in nature when we give ourselves wholly to her, without reserve, she lends them to us she shows us these forms, which our watching eyes do not see, which our intelligence does not understand or suspect.
One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.
Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished.
As I grew older, I realized that it was much better to insist on the genuine forms of nature, for simplicity is the greatest adornment of art.
Virtue is a habit of the mind, consistent with nature and moderation and reason.
To any artist, worthy of the name, all in nature is beautiful, because his eyes, fearlessly accepting all exterior truth, read there, as in an open book, all the inner truth.
It is absolutely impossible to transcend the laws of nature. What can change in historically different circumstances is only the form in which these laws expose themselves.
Nature abhors annihilation.
Nature has always had more force than education.
Nature shows that with the growth of intelligence comes increased capacity for pain, and it is only with the highest degree of intelligence that suffering reaches its supreme point.
The artist is the confidant of nature, flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms. Every flower has a cordial word which nature directs towards him.
The machine does not isolate man from the great problems of nature but plunges him more deeply into them.
Art is not merely an imitation of the reality of nature, but in truth a metaphysical supplement to the reality of nature, placed alongside thereof for its conquest.
Death, like birth, is a secret of Nature.
Nature scarcely ever gives us the very best; for that we must have recourse to art.
Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.
To the artist there is never anything ugly in nature.
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