Only the basic situations in life occur only once, never to return. For a man to be a man, he must be fully aware of this never-to-return. (p.148)

Youth is terrible: it is a stage trod by children in buskins and a variety of costumes mouthing speeches they've memorized and fanatically believe but only half understand. And history is terrible because it so often ends up a playground for the immature; a playground for the young Nero, a playground for the young Bonaparte, a playground for the easily roused mobs of children whose simulated passions and simplistic poses suddenly metamorphose into a catastrophically real reality.

I think I am a much better actor than I have allowed myself to be.

To rebel against being born a woman seemed as foolish to her as to take pride in it.

Kitsch causes two tears to flow in quick succession. The first tear says: How nice to see children running on the grass! The second tear says: How nice to be moved, together with all mankind, by children running on the grass!

Perhaps all the questions we ask of love, to measure, test, probe, and save it, have the additional effect of cutting it short.

In the realm of totalitarian kitsch, all answers are given in advance and preclude any questions.