We lie to ourselves in order that we may still have the excuse of ignorance, the alibi of stupidity and incomprehension, possessing which we can continue with a good conscience to commit and tolerate the most monstrous crimes.

Bondage is the life of personality, and for bondage the personal self will fight with tireless resourcefulness and the most stubborn cunning.

If you want to be a psychological novelist and write about human beings, the best thing you can do is keep a pair of cats.

The vast majority of human beings are not interested in reason or satisfied with what it teaches.

To be well informed, one must read quickly a great number of merely instructive books. To be cultivated, one must read slowly and with a lingering appreciation the comparatively few books that have been written by men who lived, thought, and felt with style.

We shall be permitted to live on this planet only for as long as we treat all nature with compassion and intelligence.

There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.