The hunger for facile wisdom is the root of all false philosophy.

Love, whether sexual, parental, or fraternal, is essentially sacrificial, and prompts a man to give his life for his friends.

Intelligence is quickness in seeing things as they are.

America is the greatest of opportunities and the worst of influences.

Perhaps the universe is nothing but an equilibrium of idiocies.

Manhood and sagacity ripen of themselves; it suffices not to repress or distort them.

Happiness is impossible, and even inconceivable, to a mind without scope and without pause, a mind driven by craving, pleasure, or fear. To be happy, you must be reasonable, or you must be tamed. You must have taken the measure of your powers, tasted the fruits of your passion, and learned your place in the world and what things in it can really serve you. To be happy, you must be wise.