Will power is to the mind like a strong blind man who carries on his shoulders a lame man who can see.

Satisfaction consists in freedom from pain, which is the positive element of life.

Genius is its own reward; for the best that one is, one must necessarily be for oneself. . . . Further, genius consists in the working of the free intellect., and as a consequence the productions of genius serve no useful purpose. The work of genius may be music, philosophy, painting, or poetry; it is nothing for use or profit. To be useless and unprofitable is one of the characteristics of genius; it is their patent of nobility.

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

Vulgar people take huge delight in the faults and follies of great men.

In truth the most striking figure for the relation of the two is that of the strong blind man carrying the sighted lame man on his shoulders.

Authors may be divided into falling stars, planets, and fixed stars: the first have a momentary effect; the second have a much longer duration; but the third are unchangeable, possess their own light, and work for all time.