The ego represents what we call reason and sanity, in contrast to the id which contains the passions.

The impression forces itself upon one that men measure by false standards, that everyone seeks power, success, riches for himself, and admires others who attain them, while undervaluing the truly precious thing in life.

I have found little 'good' about human beings. In my experience, most of them are trash.

We are so constituted that we can gain intense pleasure only from the contrast, and only very little from the condition itself.

Thus we arrive at the singular conclusion that of all the information passed by our cultural assets it is precisely the elements which might be of the greatest importance to us and which have the task of solving the riddles of the universe and of reconciling us to the sufferings of life -- it is precisely those elements that are the least well authenticated of any.

When a love-relationship is at its height there is no room left for any interest in the environment; a pair of lovers are sufficient to themselves

I have often felt as though I had inherited all the defiance and all the passions with which our ancestors defended their Temple and could gladly sacrifice my life for one great moment in history. And at the same time I always felt so helpless and incapable of expressing these ardent passions even by a word or a poem.