The quality of ideas seems to play a minor role in mass movement leadership. What counts is the arrogant gesture, the complete disregard of the opinion of others, the singlehanded defiance of the world.

No one has a right to happiness.

It is the awareness of unfulfilled desires which gives a nation the feeling that it has a mission and a destiny.

Give people pride and they'll live on bread and water, bless their exploiters, and even die for them. Self-surrender is a transaction of barter: we surrender our sense of human dignity, our judgement, or moral and aesthetic sense for pride. If there is pride in being free, we are ready to die for liberty. If there is pride to be derived from an identification with a leader, we grovel in the dust before a Napoléon, Hitler or Stalin and are ready to die for him. If there is a distinction in suffering we search for martyrdom as for hidden treasure.

The passion to get ahead is sometimes born of the fear lest we be left behind.

To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are.

Call not that man wretched, who whatever ills he suffers, has a child to love.