Every man must form himself as a particular being, seeking, however, to attain that general idea of which all mankind are constituents.

Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.

I am amazed to see how deliberately I have entangled myself step by step. To have seen my position so clearly, and yet to have acted so like a child!

To me the external existence of my soul is proved from my idea of activity. If I work incessantly until my death, nature will give me another form of existence when the present can no longer sustain my spirit.

What people call the spirit of the times is mostly their own spirit in which the times mirror themselves.

The day is committed to error and floundering; success and achievement are matters of long range.

For usually people resist as long as they can to dismiss the fool they harbor in their bosom, they resist to confess a major mistake or to admit a truth that makes them despair.