The difficult and risky task of meeting and mastering the new . . . is not undertaken by the vanguard of society but by its rear. It is the misfits, failures, fugitives, outcasts and their like who are among the first to grapple with the new.

One of the marks of a truly vigorous society is the ability to dispense with passion as a midwife of action - the ability to pass directly from thought to action.

There are many who find a good alibi far more attractive than an achievement.

It is futile to judge a kind deed by its motives. Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.

There is a tendency to judge a race, a nation or any distinct group by its leastworthy members.

Rudeness is the weak man's limitation of strength.

The end comes when we no longer talk with ourselves. It is the end of genuine thinking and the beginning of the final loneliness. The remarkable thing is that the cessation of the inner dialogue marks also the end of our concern with the world around us. It is as if we noted the world and think about it only when we have to report it to ourselves.