And like a wind shall I one day blow amongst them and with my spirit take away their soul's breath: thus my future wills it.

Subordination to morality can be slavish or vain or self- interested or resigned or gloomily enthusiastic or thoughtless or an act of despair, just as subordination to a prince can be: in itself it is nothing moral.

Among twelve apostles there must always be one who is as hard as stone, so that the new church may be built upon him.

Living in a constant chase after gain compels people to expend their spirit to the point of exhaustion.

As regards the celebrated struggle for life, it seems to me for the present to have been rather asserted than proved. It does occur, but as the exception; the general aspect of life is not hunger and distress, but rather wealth, luxury, even absurd prodigality -- where there is a struggle it is a struggle for power.

Sometimes all you need to do to win clever people over to a principle is to present it in the form of a shocking paradox.

A nation that still believes in itself holds fast to its own god.