Everyone bowed to that unwritten law of family life which ordains that, in the long run, everyone submerges his personal preference in the effort to conform to that of the member of the circle who complains most loudly and is most difficult to satisfy.

Professional psychologists seem to think that they are the only people who make sense out of human actions. The rest of us know that everybody tries to do just this. What else is gossip?

I never heard of anybody who admired the character of sheep. Even the gentlest human personalities in contact with them are annoyed by their lack of brains, courage and initiative, by their extraordinary ability to get themselves into uncomfortable or dangerous situations and then wait in inert helplessness for someone to rescue them.

Taking somebody's sacrifices is like taking counterfeit money. You're only the poorer.

Almost anything is enough to keep alive someone who wishes nothing for himself but time to write music.

You can't wish a body any worse luck than to get what he wants.

Life takes hold of us with strong hands and makes us greater than we thought.