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

The common man is not concerned about the passage of time, the man of talent is driven by it.

If we were not all so interested in ourselves, life would be so uninteresting that none of us would be able to endure it.

If people insist that honor is dearer than life itself, what they really mean is that existence and well-being are as nothing compared with other people's opinions. Of course, this may be only an exaggerated way of stating the prosaic truth that reputation, that is, the opinion others have of us, is indispensable if we are to make any progress in the world.

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

Truth is no harlot who throws her arms round the neck of him who does not desire her; on the contrary, she is so coy a beauty that even the man who sacrifices everything to her can still not be certain of her favors.

The Universe is a dream dreamed by a single dreamer where all the dream characters dream too.