Nothing is more piquant than when a man of genius possesses mannerisms; not so when they possess him -- this leads to spiritual petrification.

The subject of history is the gradual realization of all that is practically necessary.

Many a witty inspiration is like the surprising reunion of befriended thoughts after a long separation.

Just as a child is really a thing that wants to become a man, so is the poem an object of nature that wants to become an object ofart.

The symmetry and organization of history teaches us that mankind, during its existence and development, genuinely was and became an individual, a person. In this great personality of mankind, God became man.

Mysteries are feminine; they like to veil themselves but still want to be seen and divined.

Philosophy is the true home of irony, which might be defined as logical beauty: for wherever men are philosophizing in spoken or written dialogues, and provided they are not entirely systematic, irony ought to be produced and postulated; even the Stoics regarded urbanity as a virtue.