The misanthrope, as an essentially solitary man, is not a man at all: he must be a beast or a god.

Happiness is the settling of the soul into its most appropriate spot.

Salt water when it turns into vapour becomes sweet, and the vapour does not form salt water when it condenses again. This I know by experiment. The same thing is true in every case of the kind: wine and all fluids that evaporate and condense back into a liquid state become water. They all are water modified by a certain admixture, the nature of which determines their flavour.

The specific excellence of verbal expression in poetry is to be clear without being low.

Emotions of any kind can be evoked by melody and rhythm; therefore music has the power to form character.

Well begun is half done.

...we are all inclined to ... direct our inquiry not by the matter itself, but by the views of our opponents; and, even when interrogating oneself, one pushes the inquiry only to the point at which one can no longer offer any opposition. Hence a good inquirer will be one who is ready in bringing forward the objections proper to the genus, and that he will be when he has gained an understanding of the differences.