Only he who has measured the dominion of force, and knows how not to respect it, is capable of love andjustice.

The vulnerability of precious things is beautiful because vulnerability is a mark of existence. The destruction of Troy. The fall of the petals from fruit trees in blossom. To know that what is most precious is not rooted in existence - that is beautiful.

The only way into truth is through one's own annihilation; through dwelling a long time in a state of extreme and total humiliation.

The Our Father contains all possible petitions; we cannot conceive of any prayer not already contained in it. It is to prayer what Christ is to humanity.

The world is God's language to us.

To claim that theft or adultery or lying are "evil" simply reflects our degraded idea of good-—that it has something to do with respect for property, respectability, and sincerity.

Pain and suffering are a kind of currency passed from hand to hand until they reach someone who receives them but does not pass them on.