The main thing is to know something and to say it.

Irony is a clear consciousness of an eternal agility, of the infinitely abundant chaos.

Versatility of education can be found in our best poetry, but the depth of mankind should be found in the philosopher.

Aphorisms are the true form of the universal philosophy.

Nothing truly convincing - which would possess thoroughness, vigor, and skill - has been written against the ancients as yet; especially not against their poetry.

Strictly speaking, the idea of a scientific poem is probably as nonsensical as that of a poetic science.

Novels are the Socratic dialogues of our time. Practical wisdom fled from school wisdom into this liberal form.

Wit as an instrument of revenge is as infamous as art is as a means of sensual titillation.

When reason and unreason come into contact, an electrical shock occurs. This is called polemics.

A priest is he who lives solely in the realm of the invisible, for whom all that is visible has only the truth of an allegory.

Publication is to thinking as childbirth is to the first kiss.

As one widow put it to me, “Strength doesn’t mean being able to stand up to anything, but being able to crawl on your belly a long, long time before you can stand up again.

It's easy to win. Anybody can win.

Someday the sun is going to shine down on me in some faraway place.

...you can make little choices that can change the world to be a better, happier, lovelier place every day

If you gave me several million years, there would be nothing that did not grow in beauty if it were surrounded by water.

At least the politicians are accountable to the voters.

Unity and simplicity are the two true sources of beauty.

It's going to be very difficult. I don't see the president-elect [Donald Trump] as a legitimate president.

People don't come to church for preachments, of course, but to daydream about God.

A lot of military kids make a lot of moves but I only made the one, so it wasn't really an issue for me.