Alas! There cometh the time when man will no longer give birth to any star. Alas! There cometh the time of the most despicable man, who can no longer despise himself.

Improvements are invented only by those who can feel that something is not good.

One should adpot only those situations in which one is in no need of sham virtues, but rather, like the tight-rope dancer on his tight rope, in which one must either fall or stand--or escape.

'He who seeks may easily get lost himself. It is a crime to go apart and be alone.' Thus speaks the herd.

History belongs above all to the man...who needs models, teachers, comforters and cannot find them among his contemporaries.

In the end we are always rewarded for our good will, our patience, fair-mindedness, and gentleness with what is strange.

Nobody thanks a witty man for politeness when he puts himself on a par with a society in which it would not be polite to show one's wit.