He took in the squeaky music, the vulgar and pining melodies, because passion immobilizes good taste and seriously considers what soberly would be thought of as funny and to be resented.

Even in a personal sense, after all, art is an intensified life. By art one is more deeply satisfied and more rapidly used up. It engraves on the countenance of its servant the traces of imaginary and intellectual adventures, and even if he has outwardly existed in cloistral tranquility, it leads in the long term to overfastidiousness, over-refinement, nervous fatigue and overstimulation, such as can seldom result from a life of the most extravagant passions and pleasures.

Thought that can merge wholly into feeling, feeling that can merge wholly into thought - these are the artist's highest joy.

People's behavior makes sense if you think about it in terms of their goals, needs, and motives.

Stupid — well, there are so many kinds of stupidity, and cleverness is one of the worst.

One must die to life in order to be utterly a creator.

No man remains quite what he was when he recognizes himself.