He who makes great demands upon himself is naturally inclined to make great demands on others.

The very act of sacrifice magnifies the one who sacrifices himself to the point where his sacrifice is much more costly to humanity than would have been the loss of those for whom he is sacrificing himself. But in his abnegation lies the secret of his grandeur.

Great minds tend toward banality. It is the noblest effort of individualism. But it implies a sort of modesty, which is so rare that it is scarcely found except in the greatest, or in beggars.

To be sure, theory is useful. But without warmth of heart and without love it bruises the very ones it claims to save.

Old hands soil, it seems, whatever they caress, but they too have their beauty when they are joined in prayer. Young hands were made for caresses and the sheathing of love. It is a pity to make them join too soon.

Every instant of our lives is essentially irreplaceable: you must know this in order to concentrate on life.

Those who have never been ill are incapable of real sympathy for a great many misfortunes