The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in. He must reflect what is projected upon him. And he must have a strong sense of the sardonic. This is what uncouples him from belief in his own pretensions. The sardonic is all that permits him to move within himself. Without this quality, even occasional greatness will destroy a man.

The purpose of argument is to change the nature of truth.

Highly organized research is guaranteed to produce nothing new.

Empires do not suffer emptiness of purpose at the time of their creation. It is when they have become established that aims are lost and replaced by vague ritual.

Atrocity never balances or rectifies the past. Atrocity merely arms the future for more atrocity.

Do actions agree with words? There's your measure of reliability. Never confine yourself to the words.

For now is my grief heavier than the sands of the seas, she thought. This world has emptied me of all but the oldest purpose: tomorrow's life.