I did not know what it was to be happy for a whole day at a time, scarcely for an hour.

Birth was something that came quite unexpectedly, and afterwards there was one child more in the house.

A love for humanity came over me, and watered and fertilised the fields of my inner world which had been lying fallow, and this love of humanity vented itself in a vast compassion.

The Danish glee: the national version of cheerfulness.

Being gifted needs courage.

Any feeling that I was enriching my mind from those surrounding me was unfortunately rare with me.

But when I was twelve years old I caught my first strong glimpse of one of the fundamental forces of existence, whose votary I was destined to be for life - namely, Beauty.