The decisive question for man is: Is he related to something infinite or not? That is the telling question of his life. Only if we know that the thing which truly matters is the infinite can we avoid fixing our interest upon futilities, and upon all kinds of goals which are not of real importance.

Consciousness succumbs all too easily to unconscious influences, and these are often truer and wiser than our conscious thinking.

Sometimes a tree tells you more than can be read in books.

All fanaticism is repressed doubt.

Every victory contains the germ of future defeat.

The only important thing is to follow nature. A tiger should be a good tiger; a tree, a good tree. So people should be people. But to know what people are, one must follow nature and go alone, admitting the importance of the unexpected. Still, nothing is possible without love. . . . For love puts one in a mood to risk everything, and not to withhold important elements.

Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering.