The bread of bitterness is the food on which men grow to their fullest stature; the waters of bitterness are the debatable ford through which they reach the shores of wisdom; the ashes boldly grasped and eaten without faltering are the price that must be paid for the golden fruit of knowledge.

The art of pleasing is more based on the art of seeming pleased than people think of, and she disarmed the prejudices of her enemies by the unaffected delight she appeared to take in themselves.

The heart of silver falls ever into the hands of brass. The sensitive herb is eaten as grass by the swine.

The loss of our illusions is the only loss from which we never recover.

There is nothing that you may not get people to believe in if you will only tell it them loud enough and often enough, till the welkin rings with it.

A great love is an absolute isolation and an absolute absorption.

Friendship needs to be rooted in respect, but love can live upon itself alone