Everything passes, only truth remains.

Civilization merely develops man's capacity for a greater variety of sensations, and ... absolutely nothing else.

With love one can live even without happiness.

It suddenly seemed to me that I was lonely, that everyone was forsaking me and going away from me.

I've always considered myself smarter than everyone around me, and sometimes, believe me, I've been ashamed of it. At the least, all my life I've looked away and never could look people straight in the eye.

The Russian soul is a dark place.

I swear to you, sirs, that excessive consciousness is a disease--a genuine, absolute disease.