But the nature of the universe is such that ends can never justify means. On the contrary, the means always determine the end.

Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him. It is a gift for dealing with the accidents of existence, not the accidents themselves.

In books, the proportion of exceptional to commonplace people is high; in reality, very low.

I have always found that Angels have the vanity to speak of themselves as the only wise.

Science has explained nothing; the more we know the more fantastic the world becomes and the profounder the surrounding darkness.

Those who meant well behaved in the same way as those who meant badly.

Happiness has got to be paid for. You're paying for it, Mr. Watson–paying because you happen to be too much interested in beauty. I was too much interested in truth; I paid too.