Just as a waterfall grows slower and more lightly suspended as it plunges down, so the great man of action tends to act with greater calmness than his tempestuous desires prior to the deed would lead one to expect.

In certain pious people I have found a hatred of reason, and have been favourably disposed to them for it: their bad intellectual conscience was at least exposed by that!

In every form of womanly love something of motherly love also comes to light.

Deep is the well of truth and long does it take to know what has fallen into its depths.

Spirit is the life that itself cuts into life: with its own torment it increases its own knowledge. Did you already know that?

A sure way to irritate people and to put evil thoughts into their heads is to keep them waiting a long time. This makes them immoral.

The problem of culture is seldom grasped correctly. The goal of a culture is not the greatest possible happiness of a people, noris it the unhindered development of all their talents; instead, culture shows itself in the correct proportion of these developments. Its aim points beyond earthly happiness: the production of great works is the aim of culture.