An aphorism ought to be entirely isolated from the surrounding world like a little work of art and complete in itself like a hedgehog.

The following are the universally fundamental laws of literary communication: 1. one must have something to communicate; 2. one must have someone to whom to communicate it; 3. one must really communicate it, not merely express it for oneself alone. Otherwise it would be more to the point to remain silent.

Original love never appears in pure form, but in manifold veils and shapes, such as confidence, humility, reverence, serenity, asfaithfulness and modesty, as gratefulness; but primarily as longing and wistful melancholy.

The history of imitation of the older literature, particularly abroad, has among other advantages this one, that the important concepts of unintentional parody and passive wit can be deduced from it most easily and comprehensively.

Wit is absolutely sociable spirit or aphoristic genius.

All the classical genres are now ridiculous in their rigorous purity.

A critic is a reader who ruminates. Thus, he should have more than one stomach.