That man's best works should be such bungling imitations of Nature's infinite perfection, matters not much; but that he should make himself an imitation, this is the fact which Nature moans over, and deprecates beseechingly. Be spontaneous, be truthful, be free, and thus be individuals! is the song she sings through warbling birds, and whispering pines, and roaring waves, and screeching winds.

I keep working because I am quite sure that no particle of goodness or truth is ever really lost, however appearances may be to the contrary.

Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father.

The rarest attainment is to grow old happily and gracefully.

Whoso does not see that genuine life is a battle and a march has poorly read his origin and his destiny.

Birds and beasts have in fact our own nature, flattened a semi-tone.

We first crush people to the earth, and then claim the right of trampling on them forever, because they are prostrate.