Boredom is just the reverse side of fascination.

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

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.

universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality.

The art of not reading is a very important one. It consists in not taking an interest in whatever may be engaging the attention of the general public at any particular time. When some political or ecclesiastical pamphlet, or novel, or poem is making a great commotion, you should remember that he who writes for fools always finds a large public. A precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones: for life is short.

The world is not a factory and animals are not products for our use

Sexual passion is the cause of war and the end of peace, the basis of what is serious... and consequently the concentration of all desire