Every decent man of our age must be a coward and a slave. That is his normal condition. Of that I am firmly persuaded. He is made and constructed to that very end. And not only at the present time owing to some casual circumstance, but always, at all times, a decent man is bound to be a coward and a slave.

One must love life before loving its meaning ... yes, and when the love of life disappears, no meaning can console us.

My friends, God is necessary for me if only because he is the one being who can be loved eternally.

And why are you so firmly, so triumphantly, convinced that only the normal and the positive--in other words, only what is conducive to welfare--is for the advantage of man? Is not reason in error as regards advantage? Does not man, perhaps, love something besides well-being? Perhaps he is just as fond of suffering? Perhaps suffering is just as great a benefit to him as well-being? Man is sometimes extraordinarily, passionately, in love with suffering, and that is a fact.

But how could you live and have no story to tell?

It's the moon that makes it so still, weaving some mystery.

Civilization has made man, if not always more bloodthirsty, at least more viciously, more horribly bloodthirsty.