To call war the soil of courage and virtue is like calling debauchery the soil of love.

The Universe, so far as we can observe it, is a wonderful and immense engine; its extent, its order, its beauty, its cruelty, makes it alike impressive.

To be brief is almost a condition of being inspired.

The mass of mankind is divided into two classes, the Sancho Panza's who have a sense for reality, but no ideals, and the Don Quixote's with a sense for ideals, but mad.

When a man's life is over, it remains true that he was one sort of man and not another. A man who understands himself under the form of eternity knows the quality that eternally belongs to him, and knows that he cannot wholly die, even if he would, for when the movement of his life is over, the truth of his life remains.

In each person I catch the fleeting suggestion of something beautiful and swear eternal friendship with that.

People are usually more firmly convinced that their opinions are precious than that they are true.