To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves; let us be above such transparent egotism. If you can't say good and encouraging things, say nothing. Nothing is often a good thing to do, and always a clever thing to say.
Who will dare to write a history of human goodness?
Those who have suffered much become very bitter or very gentle.
[H]istory assures us that civilizations decay quite leisurely.
In the end, nothing is lost. Every event, for good or evil, has effects forever.
The ego is willing but the machine cannot go on. It's the last thing a man will admit, that his mind ages.