The artisan or scientist or the follower of whatever discipline who has the habit of comparing himself not with other followers but with the discipline itself will have a lower opinion of himself, the more excellent he is.

The most solid pleasure in this life is the empty pleasure of illusion.

It's not our disadvantages or shortcomings that are ridiculous, but rather the studious way we try to hide them, and our desire to act as if they did not exist.

A dictionary can embrace only a small part of the vast tapestry of a language.

Men seldom act from a correct sense of what may be harmful or useful to them.

He who has the courage to laugh is almost as much a master of the world as he who is ready to die.

Old age is the supreme evil, for it deprives man of all pleasures while allowing his appetites to remain, and it brings with it every possible sorrow. Yet men fear death and desire old age.