It is a juvenile notion that a society needs a lofty purpose and a shining vision to achieve much. Both in the market place and on the battlefield men who set their hearts on toys have often displayed unequal initiative and drive. And one must be ignorant of the creative process to look for a close correspondence between motive and achievement in the world of thought and imagination.

The majority prove their worth by keeping busy. A busy life is the nearest thing to a purposeful life.

Resistance, whether to one's appetites or to the ways of the world, is a chief factor in the shaping of character.

It is thus with most of us; we are what other people say we are. We know ourselves chiefly by hearsay.

When people are bored it is primarily with themselves.

Mass movements do not usually rise until the prevailing order has been discredited.

Nationalist pride, like other variants of pride, can be a substitute for self-respect.