The soldier is convinced that a certain indefinitely extendable time period is accorded him before he is killed, the burglar before he is caught, men in general, before they must die. That is the amulet which preserves individuals — and sometimes populations — not from danger, but from the fear of danger, in reality from the belief in danger, which in some cases allows them to brave it without being brave. Such a confidence, just as unfounded, supports the lover who counts on a reconciliation, a letter.

The only true voyage of discovery, . . . would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes.

Unkind people imagine themselves to be inflicting pain on someone equally unkind.

I should have been happy: I wasn’t.

I do my intellectual work inside myself, and once I am with my fellow creatures it is more or less a matter of indifference to me whether or not they are intelligent as long as they are kind, sincere, etc.

Always try to keep a patch of sky above your life.

Happiness is beneficial for the body, but it is grief that develops the powers of the mind.