Consciousness is the mere surface of our minds, of which, as of the earth, we do not know the inside, but only the crust.

Poverty and slavery are thus only two forms ofthe same thing, the essence of which is that a man's energies are expended for the most part not on his own behalf but on that of others.

Men need some kind of external activity, because they are inactive within.

The fundament upon which all our knowledge and learning rests is the inexplicable.

One man is more concerned with the impression he makes on the rest of mankind, another with the impression the rest of mankind makes on him.

If a man wants to read good books, he must make a point of avoiding bad ones; for life is short, and time and energy limited.

Restlessness is the hallmark of existence.