The Renaissance had resulted in the emancipation of the individual, in making him feel that the universe had no other purpose than his happiness. This brought an entirely new answer to the question, 'Why should I do this or that?'… — Bernard Berenson Copy Share
You can parody and make fun of almost anything, but that does not turn the universe into a caricature. — Bernard Berenson Copy Share Image
The ultimate justification of the work of art is to help the spectator to become a work of art himself. — Bernard Berenson Copy Share Image
Boast is always a cry of despair, except in the young it is a cry of hope. — Bernard Berenson Copy Share Image
I would willingly stand at street corners, hat in hand, begging passerby to drop their unused minutes into it. — Bernard Berenson Copy Share Image
I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours. — Bernard Berenson Copy Share Image
Literature in its most comprehensive sense is the autobiography of humanity. — Bernard Berenson Copy Share Image
From childhood on I have had the dream of life lived as a sacrament... the dream implied taking life ritually as something holy. — Bernard Berenson Copy Share Image
The artist, depicting man disdainful of the storm and stress of life, is no less reconciling and healing than the poet who, while endowing… — Bernard Berenson Copy Share Image
The Renaissance had resulted in the emancipation of the individual, in making him feel that the universe had no other purpose than his happiness. This brought an entirely new answer to the question, 'Why should I do this or that?' It used to be, 'Because self-instituted authority command you.' The answer now was, 'Because it is good for men.' In… — Bernard Berenson Copy Share
Who will free me from hurry, flurry, the feeling of a crowd pushing behind me, of being hustled and crushed? How can I regain even for a minute the feeling of ample leisure I had during my early, my creative years? Then I seldom felt fussed, or hurried. There was time for work, for play, for love, the confidence that… — Bernard Berenson Copy Share
I walk in the garden, I look at the flowers and shrubs and trees and discover in them an exquisiteness of contour, a vitality… — Bernard Berenson Copy Share Image
“A complete life may be one ending in so full identification with the non-self that there is no self to die.” — Bernard Berenson Copy Share Image
Enemies could become the best companions. Companionship is based on a common interest, and the greater the interest the closer the companionship. What makes… — Bernard Berenson Copy Share Image
