“... the only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder...”

“So now you must choose... Are you a child who has not yet become world-weary? Or are you a philosopher who will vow never to become so? To children, the world and everything in it is new, something that gives rise to astonishment. It is not like that for adults. Most adults accept the world as a matter of course. This is precisely where philosophers are a notable exception. A philosopher never gets quite used to the world. To him or her, the world continues to seem a bit unreasonable - bewildering, even enigmatic. Philosophers and small children thus have an important faculty in common. The only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder…”

“For this feeling of wonder shows that you are a philosopher, since wonder is the only beginning of philosophy.”

“There is only one thing a philosopher can be relied upon to do, and that is to contradict other philosophers.”

“It is good to renew one's wonder, said the philosopher. Space travel has again made children of us all.”

“A little talent is a good thing to have if you want to be a writer. But the only real requirement is the ability to remember every scar.”