How much rationality and higher protection there is in such self-deception, and how much falseness I still require in order to allow myself again and again the luxury of my sincerity.

An artist chooses his subjects: that is the way he praises.

Vanity is the fear of appearing original: it is thus a lack of pride, but not necessarily a lack of originality.

Willing sets you free: that is the true doctrine of will and freedom--thus Zarathustra instructs you.

Poets are shameless with their experiences: they exploit them.

What a person is begins to betray itself when his talent weakens--when he stops showing what he can do. Talent, too, is ornamentation, and ornamentation, too, is a hiding place.

What separates two people most profoundly is a different sense and degree of cleanliness.