If God made the world, I would not be that God, for the misery of the world would break my heart.

To desire immortality for the individual is really the same as wanting to perpetuate an error forever.

Men are a thousand times more intent on becoming rich than on acquiring culture, though it is quite certain that what a man IS contributes more to his happiness than what he HAS.

Thus also every keen pleasure is an error and an illusion, for no attained wish can give lasting satisfaction.

A good supply of resignation is of the first importance in providing for the journey of life.

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.

To free a man from error is to give, not to take away. Knowledge that a thing is false is a truth. Error always does harm; sooner or later it will bring mischief to the man who harbors it.