“From the crooked timber of humanity, a straight board cannot be hewn.”

“From the crooked timber of humanity, never was a straight thing made.”

“From such crooked timber as humanity is made of, no straight thing was ever constructed.”

“Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made.”

“Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was even made.”

“An age cannot bind itself and ordain to put the succeeding one into such a condition that it cannot extend its (at best very occasional) knowledge , purify itself of errors, and progress in general enlightenment. That would be a crime against human nature, the proper destination of which lies precisely in this progress and the descendants would be fully justified in rejecting those decrees as having been made in an unwarranted and malicious manner.The touchstone of everything that can be concluded as a law for a people lies in the question whether the people could have imposed such a law on itself.”

“One who makes himself a worm cannot complain afterwards if people step on him.”