Life is neither to be wept over nor to be laughed at but to be understood.

Men are the devils of the earth, and the animals are its tormented souls.

It is only a man's own fundamental thoughts that have truth and life in them. For it is these that he really and completely understands. To read the thoughts of others is like taking the remains of someone else's meal, like putting on the discarded clothes of a stranger.

In many cases hate a person is rooted in the involuntary estimate of its virtues.

Education perverts the mind since we are directly opposing the natural development of our mind by obtaining ideas first and observations last. This is why so few men of learning have such sound common sense as is quite common among the illiterate.

All our wanting comes from needs, thus we continiously suffer. The intellect teaches free will, free from suffering.

With health, everything is a source of pleasure; without it, nothing else, whatever it may be, is enjoyable...Healt h is by far the most important element in human happiness.