Friday, July 31, 2009

E is for ECCENTRICITY



Even beauty cannot always palliate eccentricity.
- Honore de Balzac

Who affects useless singularities has surely a little mind.
- Johann Kaspar Lavater (John Caspar Lavater)



Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character has abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and moral courage it contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric marks the chief danger of the time.
- John Stuart Mill

Men are of necessity so mad, that not to be mad were madness in another form.
- Blaise Pascal



Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
- Bertrand Arthur William Russell

Often extraordinary excellence, not being rightly conceived, does rather offend than please.
- Sir Philip Sidney (Sydney)



Eccentricity is developed monomania.
- Bayard Taylor

Oddities and singularities of behavior may attend genius; but when they do, they are its misfortunes and blemishes. The man of true genius will be ashamed of them, or at least will never affect to be distinguished by them.
- Sir William Temple