I envy you going to Oxford: it is the most flower-like time of one's life. One sees the shadow of things in silver mirrors. Later on, one sees the Gorgon's head, and one suffers, because it does not turn one to stone.

Well, one must be serious about something, if one wants to have any amusement in life.

I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays.

Philanthropy [has become] simply the refuge of people who wish to annoy their fellow creatures.

Whatever, in fact, is modern in our life we owe to the Greeks. Whatever is an anachronism is due to mediaevalism.

The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless.

As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular.