We clamor for equality chiefly in matters in which we ourselves cannot hope to obtain excellence.

Glory is largely a theatrical concept. There is no striving for glory without a vivid awareness of an audience.

Absolute power corrupts even when exercised for humane purposes. The benevolent despot who sees himself as a shepherd of the people still demands from others the submissiveness of sheep. The taint inherent in absolute power is not its inhumanity but its anti-humanity.

Practically all writers and artists are aware of their destiny and see themselves as actors in a fateful drama. With me, nothing is momentous: obscure youth, glorious old age, fateful coincidences - nothing really matters. I have written a number of good sentences. I have kept free of delusions. I know I am going to die soon.

Excesses are essentially gestures. It is easy to be extremely cruel, magnanimous, humble or self-sacrificing when we see ourselves as actors in a performance.

Every successful person has had failures but repeated failure is no guarantee of eventual success

Often, the thing we pursue most passionately is but a substitute for the one thing we really want and cannot have.