The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.

I had supposed until that time that it was quite common for parents to love their children, but the war persuaded me that it is a rare exception. I had supposed that most people liked money better than almost anything else, but I discovered that they liked destruction even better. I had supposed that intellectuals frequently loved truth, but I found here again that not ten per cent of them prefer truth to popularity.

I read Zuleika Dobson with pleasure. It represents the Oxford that the two World Wars have destroyed with a charm that is not likely to be reproduced anywhere in the world for the next thousand years.

Unless a man has been taught what to do with success after getting it, the achievement of it must inevitably leave him a prey to boredom.

When you are studying any matter or considering any philosophy, ask yourself only: what are the facts, and what is the truth that the facts bear out. Never let yourself be diverted by what you wish to believe, but look only and surely at what are the facts.

When the journey from means to end is not too long, the means themselves are enjoyed if the end is ardently desired.

What is new in our time is the increased power of the authorities to enforce their prejudices.