Materialism is the philosophy of the subject who forgets to take account of himself.

If we suspect that a man is lying, we should pretend to believe him; for then he becomes bold and assured, lies more vigorously, and is unmasked.

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.

A man who has not enough originality to think out a new title for his book will be much less capable of giving it new contents.

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.

Style is the physiognomy of the mind. It is more infallible than that of the body. To imitate the style of another is said to be wearing a mask. However beautiful it may be, it is through its lifelessness insipid and intolerable, so that even the most ugly living face is more engaging.

I owe what is best in my own development to the impression made by Kant's works, the sacred writings of the Hindus, and Plato.