It was the sick and decaying who despised the body and earth and invented the heavenly realm and the redemptive drops of blood: but they took even these sweet and gloomy poisons from body and earth. They wanted to escape their own misery, and the stars were too far for them.

An educator never says what he himself thinks, but only that which he thinks it is good for those whom he is educating to hear.

Whom do you call bad?--Those who always want to induce shame.

Youth is an unpleasant period; for then it is not possible or not prudent to be productive in any sense whatsoever.

In war personal revenge maintains its silence.

The desire to create continually is vulgar and betrays jealousy, envy, ambition. If one is something one really does not need to make anything --and one nonetheless does very much. There exists above the ''productive'' man a yet higher species.

Where the past is venerated the clean and those who clean things up should be kept out. Piety is never happy without a little dust, dirt, and rubbish.