Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.

Wonder [admiratio astonishment, marvel] is a kind of desire for knowledge. The situation arises when one sees an effect and does not know its cause, or when the cause of the particular effect is one that exceeds his power of understanding. Hence, wonder is a cause of pleasure insofar as there is annexed the hope of attaining understanding of that which one wants to know. ... For desire is especially aroused by the awareness of ignorance, and consequently a man takes the greatest pleasure in those things which he discovers for himself or learns from the ground up.

I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it. I would hope to act with compassion without thinking of personal gain.

In order for a war to be just, three things are necessary. First, the authority of the sovereign... Secondly, a just cause... Thirdly... a rightful intention.

Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine.

The test of the artist does not lie in the will with which he goes to work, but in the excellence of the work he produces.

Humility is the mark of a genuine disciple.