Newspapers are the second hand of history. This hand, however, is usually not only of inferior metal to the other hands, it also seldom works properly.

There is not a grain of dust, not an atom that can become nothing, yet man believes that death is the annhilation of his being.

For an act to be moral the intention must be based on compassion, not duty. We do something because we want to do it, because we feel we have to do it, not because we ought to do it. And even if our efforts fail - or we never even get to implement them - we are still moral because our motivation was based on compassion.

Do not shorten the morning by getting up late, or waste it in unworthy occupations or in talk; look upon it as the quintessence of life, as to a certain extent sacred. Evening is like old age: we are languid, talkative, silly. Each day is a little life: every waking and rising a little birth, every fresh morning a little youth, every going to rest and sleep a little death.

What people commonly call Fate is, as a general rule, nothing but their own stupid and foolish conduct.

Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.

Life is a task to be done. It is a fine thing to say defunctus est; it means that the man has done his task.