Which is the greater merit, to enlighten the human race, which remains forever, or to save one's fatherland, which is perishable?

Time, matter, space - all, it may be, are no more than a point.

Mankind have banned the Divinity from their presence; they have relegated him to a sanctuary; the walls of the temple restrict his view; he does not exist outside of it.

My friend, you should blow out your candle in order to find your way more clearly.

Shakespeare's fault is not the greatest into which a poet may fall. It merely indicates a deficiency of taste.

As long as the centuries continue to unfold, the number of books will grow continually, and one can predict that a time will come when it will be almost as difficult to learn anything from books as from the direct study of the whole universe. It will be almost as convenient to search for some bit of truth concealed in nature as it will be to find it hidden away in an immense multitude of bound volumes.

Gentleness and peacefulness regulate our proceedings; theirs are dictated by fury. We employ reason, they accumulate faggots. They preach nothing but love, and breathe nothing but blood. Their words are humane, but their hearts are cruel.