And it is the great noon when man stands at the midpoint of his course between beast and superman and celebrates his way to the evening as his highest hope: for it is the way to a new morning.

Read from a distant star, the majuscule script of our earthly existence would perhaps lead to the conclusion that the earth was the distinctively ascetic planet, a nook of disgruntled, arrogant creatures filled with a profound disgust with themselves, at the earth, at all life, who inflict as much pain on themselves as they possibly can out of pleasure in inflicting pain which is probably their only pleasure.

I love him who loveth his virtue: for virtue is the will to down-going, and an arrow of longing.

Men were considered "free" only so that they might be considered guilty - could be judged and punished: consequently, every act had to be considered as willed, and the origin of every act had to be considered as lying within the consciousness (and thus the most fundamental psychological deception was made the principle of psychology itself).

The most unendurable thing, to be sure, the really terrible thing, would be a life without habits, a life which continually required improvisation.

Precisely this is godliness--that there are gods, but no God.

Emerson is a person who lives instinctively on ambrosia - and leaves everything indigestible on his plate.