Curiosity is lying in wait for every secret.

No matter how much faculty of idle seeing a man has, the step from knowing to doing is rarely taken.

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.

So all that is said of the wise man by Stoic or Oriental or modern essayist, describes to each reader his own idea, describes his unattained but attainable self.

Don't be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.

Nature is upheld by antagonism.

Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs.