I have always a slight feeling of pity for the man who has no knowledge of chess, just as I would pity the man who has remained ignorant of love. Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make man happy.

... a lively imagination can exercise itself most fully and creatively in conjuring up magnificent combinations.

When you don't know what to do, wait for your opponent to get an idea; it is sure to be bad.

When you don't know what to play, wait for an idea to come into your opponent's mind. You may be sure that idea will be wrong

I already came upon the world as a extraordinary human being; to my parents' great horror, I was equipped with a clubfoot which, however, did not hamper my rapid progress.

White has no positional equivalent for the centralized pawn.

A thorough understanding of the typical mating continuations makes the most complicated sacrificial combinations leading up to them not only not difficult, but almost a matter of course