He who strays from the customary becomes a sacrifice to the extraordinary; he who keeps to the customary becomes its slave. He iscondemned to perish in either case.

What makes one heroic? - Going out to meet at the same time one's highest suffering and one's highest hope.

Words are but symbols for the relations of things to one another and to us; nowhere do they touch upon absolute truth.

Rash actions are seldom committed in isolation. With the first rash action we always do too much. So we usually go on to commit asecond one--and then we do too little.

The 'kingdom of Heaven' is a condition of the heart - not something that comes 'upon the earth' or 'after death.'

Such men alone are my readers, my proper readers, my preordained readers. Of what account are the rest? The rest are simply... humanity. One must be superior to humanity in power, in loftiness of soul- in contempt.

The sick woman especially: no one surpasses her in refinements for ruling, oppressing, tyrannising.