It is said that no man is a hero to his valet. That is because a hero can be recognized only by a hero.

Say what we may of the inadequacy of translation, yet the work is and will always be one of the weightiest and worthiest undertakings in the general concerns of the world.

Flowers are the beautiful hieroglyphics of nature with which she indicates how much she loves us.

To make something you have to be something.

It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter lies in the depth, where few are willing to search for it.

Nothing should be valued higher than the value of the day.

Moral epochs have their course as well as the seasons. We can no more hold them fast than we can hold sun, moon, and stars. Our faults perpetually return upon us; and herein lies the subtlest difficulty of self-knowledge.