It is necessary for the welfare of society that genius should be privileged to utter sedition, to blaspheme, to outrage good taste, to corrupt the youthful mind, and generally to scandalize one's uncles.

A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.

When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth.

Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.

Freedom, my good girl, means being able to count on how other people will behave.

The open mind never acts: when we have done our utmost to arrive at a reasonable conclusion, we still must close our minds for the moment with a snap, and act dogmatically on our conclusions.