He who cannot give anything away cannot feel anything either.

Every tradition grows continually more venerable, and the more remote its origins, the more this is lost sight of. The veneration paid the tradition accumulates from generation to generation, until it at last becomes holy and excites awe.

Whoever aims publicly at great things and at length perceives secretly that he is too weak to achieve them, has usually also insufficient strength to renounce his aims publicly, and then inevitably becomes a hypocrite.

I need solitude, which is to say, recovery, return to my self, the breath of a free, light, playful air.

Just as soon as we notice that someone has to force himself to pay attention when dealing and talking with us, we have a valid demonstration that he does not love us or that he does not love us anymore.

For the longest time, marriage has had a guilty conscience about itself. Should we believe it?--Yes, we should believe it.

There will be but few people who, when at a loss for topics of conversation, will not reveal the more secret affairs of their friends.