I am a ridiculous man. They call me a madman now. That would be a distinct rise in my social position were it not that they still regard me as being as ridiculous as ever.

The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he's in prison.

Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.

If you wish to glimpse inside a human soul and get to know a man ... just watch him laugh. If he laughs well, he's a good man.

Learning to love is hard and we pay dearly for it. It takes hard work and a long apprenticeship, for it is not just for a moment that we must learn to love, but forever.

People speak sometimes about the "bestial" cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel.

It is better to be unhappy and know the worst, than to be happy in a fool's paradise.

Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him.

I think the devil doesn't exist, but man has created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness.

Don’t be overwise; fling yourself straight into life, without deliberation; don’t be afraid - the flood will bear you to the bank and set you safe on your feet again.

The most offensive is not their lying - one can always forgive lying - lying is a delightful thing, for it leads to truth - what is offensive is that they lie and worship their own lying.

Living your life is a long and doggy business. . . . And stories and books help. Some help you with the living itself. Some help you just take a break. The best do both at the same time.

...throw roses into the abyss and say: 'here is my thanks to the monster who didn't succeed in swallowing me alive.

A covenant differs from a contract almost as much as marriage differs from prostitution.

There are few things more amusing in the world of politics than watching moderate Republicans charging to the right in pursuit of greater glory.

I've never been quarantined. But the more I look around the more I think it might not be a bad idea.

When you borrow you plan to pay back. We're stealing from our children - so many people have no intention of paying back.

There's this resistance to actually talking to people who are smarter than you about things and I don't know why that is.

People aren't always what you want them to be

I live my life day by day, and that's how I continue to live it.

As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.