“Life should be an aim unto itself, a purpose unto itself.”

“He who fears he will suffer, already suffers from his fear.”

“Rejoice in the things that are present; all else is beyond thee.”

“The beautiful souls are they that are unniversal, open, and ready for all things.”

“The reverse side of truth has a hundred thousand shapes and no defined limits.”

“We need to interpret interpretations more than to interpret things.”

“Whoever will be cured of ignorance, let him confess it.”

“Our zeal works wonders, whenever it supports our inclination toward hatred, cruelty, ambition.”

“How many things were articles of faith to us yesterday that are fables to us today?”

“There is indeed a certain sense of gratification when we do a good deed that gives us inward satisfaction, and a generous pride that accompanies a good conscience…These testimonies of a good conscience are pleasant; and such a natural pleasure is very beneficial to us; it is the only payment that can never fail. “On Repentance”

“We should tend our freedom wisely.”

“It is a small soul, buried beneath the weight of affairs, that does not know how to get clean away from them, that cannot put them aside and pick them up again.”

“There is more ado to interpret interpretations than to interpret things, and more books upon books than upon any other subject; we do nothing but comment upon one another. Every place swarms with commentaries; of authors there is great scarcity.”

“We must not attach knowledge to the mind, we have to incorporate it there.”

“All we do is to look after the opinions and learning of others: we ought to make them our own.”

“Women are not entirely wrong when they reject the moral rules proclaimed in society, since it is we men alone who have made them.”

“Nothing is so firmly believed as that which is least known.”

“I had rather complain of ill-fortune than be ashamed of victory.”

“My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened.”

“If you don't know how to die, don't worry; Nature will tell you what to do on the spot, fully and adequately. She will do this job perfectly for you; don't bother your head about it.”

“It is not reasonable that art should win the place of honor over our great and powerful mother Nature. We have so overloaded the beauty and richness of her works by our inventions that we have quite smothered her.”

“My business is only to keep myself in motion, whilst motion pleases me; I only walk for the walk's sake.”

“We need very strong ears to hear ourselves judged frankly, and because there are few who can endure frank criticism without being stung by it, those who venture to criticize us perform a remarkable act of friendship, for to undertake to wound or offend a man for his own good is to have a healthy love for him.”

“Excellent memories are often coupled with feeble judgments.”