Captivating the spirit of the age is a matter of great talent; being swept away by it characterizes an average mind. The two are as different from one another as activity and passivity.

Let the will embrace the highest ideals freely and with infinite strength, but let action first take hold of what lies closest.

In order to succeed in a profession, a person not only needs to have its good, but also its bad qualities. The former are the spirit, the latter is the body of the job.

History is the zoology of the human race.

No one will stop to help you when you are in need, but everyone forces opinions upon you that you do not require.

Austrian soldiers are like horses: brave but easily frightened.

Mankind is getting smarter every day. Actually, it only seems so. At least we are making progress. We're progressing, to be sure, ever more deeply into the forest.