Victor Cousin quotes

Victor Cousin was a French philosopher and educator known for his influential work in the field of French spiritualism. Born in 1792, Cousin's ideas on the nature of human knowledge and the role of reason in understanding the world have had a lasting impact on Western philosophy. He also played a key role in shaping the French education system and was a prominent figure in the intellectual life of 19th century France. Learn more about Victor Cousin and his contributions to philosophy and education.

All truly historical peoples have an idea they must realize, and when they have sufficiently exploited it at home, they export it, in a certain way, by war; they make it tour the world.

- Victor Cousin

Ignorance is the primary source of all misery and vice.

- Victor Cousin

True philosophy invents nothing; it merely establishes and describes what is.

- Victor Cousin

The beautiful cannot be the way to what is useful, or to what is good, or to what is holy; it leads only to itself.

- Victor Cousin