Alas, that we should be so unwilling to listen to the still and holy yearnings of the heart! A god whispers quite softly in our breast, softly yet audibly; telling us what we ought to seek and what to shun.

I had toward the poetic art a peculiar relation which was only practical after I had cherished in my mind for a long time a subject which possessed me, a model which inspired me, a predecessor who attracted me, until at length, after I had molded it

To be sure, a good work of art can and will have moral consequences, but to demand of the artists moral intentions, means ruiningtheir craft.

What then is your duty? What the day demands.

Character is constructed amidst the tempests of the World

A man's shortcomings are taken from his epoch; his virtues and greatness belong to himself.

All truths are old, and all that we have to do is recognize and utter them anew.