If an angel were to tell us about his philosophy, I believe many of his statements might well sound like '2 x 2= 13'.

He who says he hates every kind of flattery, and says it in earnest, certainly does not yet know every kind of flattery.

I am convinced we do not only love ourselves in others but hate ourselves in others too.

The wisdom of providence is as much revealed in the rarity of genius, as in the circumstance that not everyone is deaf or blind.

When an acquaintance goes by I often step back from my window, not so much to spare him the effort of acknowledging me as to spare myself the embarrassment of seeing that he has not done so.

Good taste is either that which agrees with my taste or that which subjects itself to the rule of reason. From this we can see how useful it is to employ reason in seeking out the laws of taste.

So-called professional mathematicians have, in their reliance on the relative incapacity of the rest of mankind, acquired for themselves a reputation for profundity very similar to the reputation for sanctity possessed by theologians.