To gain anything we have longed for is only to discover how vain and empty it is; and even though we are always living in expectation of better things, at the same time we often repent and long to have the past back again.

Pride works from within; it is the direct appreciation of oneself.

Compassion is the basis of morality.

The law of simplicity and naïveté applies to all fine art, for it is compatible with what is most sublime.

Will minus intellect constitutes vulgarity.

Nothing shocks our moral feelings so deeply as cruelty does. We can forgive every other crime, but not cruelty. The reason for this is that it is the very opposite of compassion.

A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.