Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live.

The comic and the tragic lie inseparably close, like light and shadow.

Every pleasure or pain has a sort of rivet with which it fastens the soul to the body and pins it down and makes it corporeal, accepting as true whatever the body certifies.

Nothing very new. By taking good care of yourselves you are of service to me and my family as well as yourselves, no matter what you do, even if you don't think so at present. But if you neglect yourselves and are unwilling to live, as though following tracks, in accordance with what we now say and have said in the past too, then no matter how much or how seriously you agree with me at present you will accomplish next to nothing.

To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.

The greatest blessing granted to mankind come by way of madness, which is a divine gift.

Improve yourself by other men's writings thus attaining effortlessly what they acquired through great difficulty.