The manifestation of poetry in external life is formal perfection. True sentiment grows within, and art must represent internal phenomena externally.

The most irascible person is most likely to become apathetic in dangerous situations.

People of talent resemble a musical instrument more closely than they do a musician. Without outside help, they produce not a single sound, but given even the slightest touch, and a magnificent tune emanates from them.

Whoever places his trust into a system will soon be without a home. While you are building your third story, the two lower ones have already been dismantled.

I would love to be able to write a tragedy in my imagination--it would turn into a masterpiece.

The office of the prince and that of the writer are defined and assigned as follows: the nobleman gives rank to the written work,the writer provides food for the prince.

Whoever considers morality the main objective of human existence, seems to me like a person who defines the purpose of a clock asnot going wrong. The first objective for a clock, is, however, that it does run; not going wrong is an additional regulative function. If not a watch's greatest accomplishment were not going wrong, unwound watches might be the best.