Sometimes I feel quite distinctly that what is inside me is not all of me. There is something else, sublime, quite indestructible, some tiny fragment of the Universal spirit.Don't you feel that?

When one is already on the edge of the grave, why not resist?

The foundation stones of a great building are destined to groan and be pressed upon; it is not for them to crown the edifice.

We are so attached to the earth, and yet we are incapable of holding onto it.

The sole substitute for an experience which we have not ourselves lived through is art and literature.

It is in the nature of the human being to seek a justification for his actions.

The term "national idea" is an unclear one. One might think of it as a widely shared understanding among a people as to the desired way of life in their country, an idea that holds sway over the population. A unifying concept like that can be useful, but should never be created artificially or imposed top-down by the powers-that-be.