Art is mind and heart and touch as much and more than it is mere instrument, technique - without which however it cannot exist at all.

When everything else physical and mental seems to diminish, the appreciation of beauty is on the increase.

A complete life may be one ending in so full an identification with the oneself that there is no self left to die.

I am only a picture-taster, the way others are wine-or tea-tasters.

The average European does not seem to feel free until he succeeds in enslaving and oppressing others.

Pessimism like calumny is easy to do, and attracts immediate attention. The gossiper and the writer may find this out soon enough, and a little encouragement from the current mood will procure them successes that bring endless imitators in their trail. On the other hand saying good things about life in general and individuals in particular and making it interesting is a serious task which few can achieve with credit.

Literature in its most comprehensive sense is the autobiography of humanity.