The test of a civilized person is first self-awareness, and then depth after depth of sincerity in self-confrontation.

The poets of each generation seldom sing a new song. They turn to themes men always have loved, and sing them in the mode of their times.

It is fair to judge peoples by the rights they will sacrifice most for.

As time goes on, new and remoter aspects of truth are discovered which can seldom be fitted into creeds that are changeless.

The worshipper of energy is too physically energetic to see that he cannot explore certain higher fields until he is still.

Babies are unreasonable; they expect far too much of existence. Each new generation that comes takes one look at the world, thinks wildly, "Is this all they've done to it?" and bursts into tears.

It is possible that our race may be an accident, in a meaningless universe, living its brief life uncared for, on this dark, cooling star: but even so - and all the more - what marvelous creatures we are! What fairy story, what tale from the Arabian Nights of the jinns, is a hundredth part as wonderful as this true fairy story of simians! It is so much more heartening, too, than the tales we invent. A universe capable of giving birth to many such accidents is - blind or not - a good world to live in, a promising universe. . . . We once thought we lived on God's footstool, it may be a throne.