In the nineteenth century the problem was that God is dead. In the twentieth century the problem is that man is dead.

The destruction of the world is the last, almost desperate attempt to save myself from being crushed by it

Understanding a person does not mean condoning; it only means that one does not accuse him as if one were God or a judge placed above him.

Our whole culture is based on the appetite for buying, on the idea of a mutually favorable exchange. .... For the man an attractive girl - and for the woman an attractive man - are the prizes they are after. 'attractive' usually means a nice package of qualities which are popular and sought after on the personality market. What specifically makes a person attractive depends on the fashion of the time, physically as well as mentally. ... Two persons thus fall in love when they feel they have found the best object available on the market, considering the limitations of their own exchange values.

I only wish to be the fountain of love from which you drink, every drop promising eternal passion.

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.

The most beautiful as well as the most ugly inclinations of man are not part of a fixed biologically given human nature, but result from the social process which creates man.