He who knows himself to be profound endeavors to be clear; he who would like to appear profound to the crowd endeavors to be obscure.

Without the errors involved in the assumptions of ethics, man would have remained an animal. Thus has he taken himself as something higher and imposed rigid laws upon himself.

That is an artist as I would have an artist be, modest in his needs: he really wants only two things, his bread and his art--panemet Circen.

Laughter means: taking a mischievous delight in someone else's uneasiness, but with a good conscience.

Mathematics would certainly have not come into existence if one had known from the beginning that there was in nature no exactly straight line, no actual circle, no absolute magnitude.

I climb upon the highest mountains, laughing at all tragedies - whether real or imaginary.

On the heights it is warmer than people in the valley suppose, especially in winter. The thinker recognizes the full import of this simile.