With the unknown, one is confronted with danger, discomfort, and care; the first instinct is to abolish these painful states. First principle: any explanation is better than none. . . . The causal instinct is thus conditional upon, and excited by, the feeling of fear. The "why?" shall, if at all possible, not give the cause for its own sake so much as for a particular kind of cause -- a cause that is comforting, liberating, and relieving.

On the tree, Future, we build our nest; and in our solitude eagles shall bring us nourishment in their beaks!

When we talk in company we lose our unique tone of voice, and this leads us to make statements which in no way correspond to our real thoughts.

Whether a man hides his bad qualities and vices or confesses them openly, his vanity wants to gain an advantage by it in both cases: just note how subtly he distinguishes between those he will hide his bad qualities from and those he will face honestly and candidly.

Ultimately, no one can extract from things, books included, more than he already knows.

The man who meets with a failure attributes this failure rather to the ill will of another than to fate.

This verse gets me through each day, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger! I am not afraid of anything because the lord is my shepherd!