Personal Identity/theories/continuity of Substance

Famous quotes containing the words personal, identity, theories, continuity and/or substance:

    I’m afraid, sir, that I gave up my belief in goblins, witches, personal devils and werewolves at the age of six.
    John Colton (1886–1946)

    For the mother who has opted to stay home, the question remains: Having perfected her role as a caretaker, can she abdicate control to less practiced individuals? Having put all her identity eggs in one basket, can she hand over the basket freely? Having put aside her own ambitions, can she resist imposing them on her children? And having set one example, can she teach another?
    Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)

    The theories and speculations of men concern us more than their puny accomplishment. It is with a certain coldness and languor that we loiter about the actual and so-called practical.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    Continuous eloquence wearies.... Grandeur must be abandoned to be appreciated. Continuity in everything is unpleasant. Cold is agreeable, that we may get warm.
    Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)

    Just as a chemist “isolates” a substance from contaminations that distort his view of its nature and effects, so the work of art purifies significant appearance. It presents abstract themes in their generality, but not reduced to diagrams.
    Rudolf Arnheim (b. 1904)