The passion for equality is partly a passion for anonymity: to be one thread of the many which make up a tunic; one thread not distinguishable from the others. No one can then point us out, measure us against others and expose our inferiority.

A plant needs roots in order to grow. With man it is the other way around: only when he grows does he have roots and feels at home in the world.

The pleasure we derive from doing favors is partly in the feeling it gives us that we are not altogether worthless. It is a pleasant surprise to ourselves.

He who has nothing and wants something is less frustrated than he who has something and wants more.

Should Americans begin to hate foreigners wholeheartedly, it will be an indication that they have lost confidence in their own way of life.

It is the pull of opposite poles that stretches souls. And only stretched souls make music.

Disappointment is a sort of bankruptcy - the bankruptcy of a soul that expends too much in hope and expectation.