To the man of thought almost nothing is really ridiculous.

Say what you will of fortitude, but show me the man who can patiently endure the laughter of fools when they have obtained an advantage over him. 'Tis only when their nonsense is without foundation that one can suffer it without complaint.

All professional men are handicapped by not being allowed to ignore things which are useless.

Death is a commingling of eternity with time; in the death of a good man, eternity is seen looking through time.

Noble be man, helpful and good!

A reasonable man needs only to practice moderation to find happiness.

To a valet no man is a hero. [Ger., Es gibt fur den Kammerdiener keiner Helden.]

Nobody, they say, is a hero to his valet. Of course; for a man must be a hero to understand a hero. The valet, I dare say, has great respect for some person of his own stamp.

It is with art as with love: How can a man of the world,with all his distractions, keep the inwardness which an artist must possess if he hopes to attain perfection? That inwardness which the spectator must share if he is to understand the work as the artist wishes and hopes... Believe me, talents are like virtues; either you must love them for their own sake or renounce them altogether. And they are only recognized and rewarded when we have practised them in secret, like a dangerous mystery."