It is sad to see a young man's fondest hopes and dreams shattered when the rose-colured veil is plucked away and he sees the actions and feelings of men for what they are. But he still has the hope of replacing his old illusions with others, just as fleeting, but also just as sweet.

An unusual beginning must have an unusual end.

We almost always forgive those we understand.

my love had grown one with my soul; it became darker, but did not go out

I have a congenital desire to contradict; my whole life is merely a chain of sad and unsuccessful contradictions to heart and mind. When faced with enthusiasm, I am seized by a midwinter freeze, and I suppose that frequent dealings with sluggish phlegmatics would have made a passionate dreamer.

We practically always excuse things when we understand them

He in his madness prays for storms, and dreams that storms will bring him peace.