A man may call to mind the face of his friend, but not his own. Here, then, is an initial difficulty in the way of applying the maxim, Know Thyself.

Students and scholars of all kinds and of every age aim, as a rule, only at information, not insight. They make it a point of honour to have information about everything, every stone, plant, battle, or experiment and about all books, collectively and individually. It never occurs to them that information is merely a means to insight, but in itself is of little or no value.

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.

A major difficulty in translation is that a word in one language seldom has a precise equivalent in another one.

With people of limited ability modesty is merely honesty. But with those who possess great talent it is hypocrisy.

A writer should never be brief at the expense of being clear.

Truth that is naked is the most beautiful, and the simpler its expression the deeper is the impression it makes.