But my most favourite pursuit after my daily exertions at the Foundry was Astronomy. There were frequently clear nights when the glorious objects in the Heavens were seen in most attractive beauty and brilliancy.

When I was young my Father used to tell me that the two most worthwhile pursuits in life were the pursuit of truth and of beauty and I believe that Alfred Nobel must have felt much the same when he gave these prizes for literature and the sciences.

The pursuit of beauty is much more dangerous nonsense than the pursuit of truth or goodness because it affords a stronger temptation to the ego.

There is certainly no absolute standard of beauty. That precisely is what makes its pursuit so interesting.

The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.

An attitude to life which seeks fulfillment in the single-minded pursuit of wealth - in short materialism - does not fit into this world because it contains within itself no limiting principle while the environment in which it is placed is strictly limited.

It is commonly supposed that the art of pleasing is a wonderful aid in the pursuit of fortune but the art of being bored is infinitely more successful.

Reading after a certain age diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.

While one finds company in himself and his pursuits he cannot feel old no matter what his years may be.