Deception, machination and mendacity lie at the core of human intelligence, like worms coiled at the core of a apple

In the end, it is our defiance that redeems us. If wolves had a religion – if there was a religion of the wolf – that it is what it would tell us.

What is best about our lives -the moments when we are, as we would put it, at our happiest- is both pleasant and deeply unpleasant. Happiness is not a feeling; it is a way of being. If we focus on the feelings, we will miss the point.

Civilization is only possible for deeply unpleasant animals. It is only an ape that can be truly civilized.

What is most important when the time comes - and it always will - is to live your life with the coldness of a wolf.

Deception, machination and mendacity lie at the core of human intelligence, like worms coiled at the core of a apple