To achieve perfection, one must first begin by not understanding many things! And if we understand too quickly, we may not understand well.

The more stupid one is, the closer one is to reality. The more stupid one is, the clearer one is. Stupidity is brief and artless, while intelligence squirms and hides itself. Intelligence is unprincipled, but stupidity is honest and straightforward.

Every man has some reminiscences which he would not tell to everyone, but only to his friends.

The formula 'Two and two make five' is not without its attractions.

Love all God’s creation, both the whole and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of light. Love the animals, love the plants, love each separate thing. If thou love each thing thou wilt perceive the mystery of God in all; and when once thou perceive this, thou wilt thenceforward grow every day to a fuller understanding of it: until thou come at last to love the whole world with a love that will then be all-embracing and universal.

Realists do not fear the results of their study.

"I love mankind," he said, "but I find to my amazement that the more I love mankind as a whole, the less I love man in particular."