Shakespeare . . . If he does not give you delight, you had better ignore him [if you can].

We do not like to be robbed of an enemy; we want someone to hate when we suffer. It is so depressing to think that we suffer because we are fools; yet, taking mankind in the mass, that is the truth.

Whoever wishes to become a philosopher must learn not to be frightened by absurdities.

It's easy to fall in love. The hard part is finding someone to catch you.

Patriotism which has the quality of intoxication is a danger not only to its native land but to the world, and "My country never wrong" is an even more dangerous maxim than "My country, right or wrong."

The human animal, like others, is adapted to a certain amount of struggle for life [and] the mere absence of effort from his life removes an essential ingredient of happiness. [. . .] He forgets that to be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.

One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.