The appreciation of the merits of art (of the emotions it conveys) depends upon an understanding of the meaning of life...

Dear Lord, what a madhouse the world is!

He had heard that women often love plain ordinary men, but he did not believe it, because he judged by himself and he could only love beautiful mysterious exceptional women.

We imagine that when we are thrown out of our usual ruts all is lost, but it is only then that what is new and good begins. While there is life there is happiness. There is much, much before us.

At school he had done things which had formerly seemed to him very horrid and made him feel disgusted with himself when he did them; but when later on he saw that such actions were done by people of good position and that they did not regard them as wrong, he was able not exactly to regard them as right, but to forget about them entirely or not be at all troubled at remembering them.

When you feel the desire for power, you should stay in solitude for some time

He felt that he was himself and did not wish to be anyone else. He only wished now to be better than he had been formerly