To become indignant at [people's] conduct is as foolish as to be angry with a stone because it rolls into your path. And with many people the wisest thing you can do, is to resolve to make use of those whom you cannot alter.

Man is the only animal who causes pain to others with no other object than wanting to do so.

There is no doubt that life is given us, not to be enjoyed, but to be overcome; to be got over.

The man who sees two or three generations is like one who sits in the conjuror's booth at a fair, and sees the same tricks two or three times. They are meant to be seen only once.

The life of every individual is really always a tragedy, but gone through in detail, it has the character of a comedy.

There are three stages in the revelation of truth. The first is to be ridiculed, the second is to be resisted and the third is to be considered self-evident.

Anyone can squash a bug but all professors of this world couldn't build one.