Of some forty families I have been able to observe, I know hardly four in which the parents do not act in such a way that nothing would be more desirable for the child than to escape their influence.

It is with fine sentiments that bad literature is made. Descend to the bottom of the well if you wish to see the stars.

Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself- and thus make yourself indispensable.

The most important things to say are those which often I did not think necessary for me to say - because they were too obvious.

I owe much to my friends; but, all things considered, it strikes me that I owe even more to my enemies. The real person springs life under a sting even better than under a caress.

Know that joy is rarer, more difficult, and more beautiful than sadness. Once you make this all-important discovery, you must embrace joy as a moral obligation.

Sadness is almost never anything but a form of fatigue.