He who would reproach an author for obscurity should look into his own mind to see whether it is quite clear there. In the dusk the plainest writing is illegible.

Beauty is at once the ultimate principle and the highest aim of art.

All sects seem to me to be right in what they assert, and wrong in what they deny.

No two people see the world exactly alike, and different temperaments will often apply the same principle, recognized by both, differently. Even one and the same person won't always maintain the same views and judgments: earlier convictions must give way to later ones.

To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is to not have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything.

Unrest and uncertainty are our lot.

Generosity wins favour for everyone, especially when it is accompanied by modesty.