Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.

What man has joined, nature is powerless to put asunder.

After all, what is reading but a vice, like drink or venery or any other form of excessive self-indulgence? One reads to tickle and amuse one's mind; one reads, above all, to prevent oneself thinking.

The Christian idea of a perfect heaven that is something other than a non-existence is a contradiction in terms.

Specialized meaninglessness has come to be regarded, in certain circles, as a kind of hallmark of true science.

Too much consistency is as bad for the mind as for the body.

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.