What is existence for but to be laughed at if men in their twenties have already attained the utmost?

The extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record persists as the trade secret of paleontology.

One should be an enigma not just to others but to oneself too. I study myself. When I'm tired of that I light a cigar to pass the time, and think: God only knows what the good Lord really meant with me, or what He meant to make of me.

A poet is not an apostle; he drives out devils only by the power of the devil.

What a misfortune to be a woman! And yet, the worst misfortune is not to understand what a misfortune it is.

When you say 'Yes' or promise something, you can very easily deceive yourself and others also, as if you had already done what you promised. It is easy to think that by making a promise you have at least done part of what you promised to do, as if the promise itself were something of value. Not at all! In fact, when you do not do what you promise, it is a long way back to the truth.

During the first period of our lives the greatest danger is not to take the risk. When once the risk has been taken, then the greatest danger is to risk too much. By not risking at first one turns aside and serves trivialities; in the second case, by risking too much, one turns aside to the fantastic and perhaps to presumption.