The one prudence in life is concentration; the one evil is dissipation: and it makes no difference whether our dissipations are coarse or fine; property and its cares, friends and a social habit, or politics, or music, or feasting. Everything is good which takes away one plaything and delusion more, and drives us home to add one stroke of faithful work.

There can never be deep peace between two spirits, never mutual respect, until, in their dialogue, each stands for the whole world.

Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

A man should give us a sense of mass.

To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven depending on whether they compare it to something better and so feel disappointed and bitter or something worse and so feel relieved and grateful.

The influence of fine scenery, the presence of mountains, appeases our irritations and elevates our friendships.

An actually existing fly is more important than a possibly existing angel.