Experience teaches us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession.
I write with experiences in mind, but I don't write about them, I write out of them.
Accuracy is the twin brother of honesty; inaccuracy, of dishonesty.
I mistrust the judgement of every man in a case in which his own wishes are concerned.
A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution.
A scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.
The object of the superior man is truth.
The very essence of instinct is that it's followed independently of reason.
I know I am but mortal and so therewhilst prepare myself for death, whensoever it shall please God to send it.
In a good bookroom you feel in some mysterious way that you are absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books through your skin, without even opening them.
Let there be spaces in your togetherness.
The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.
In moments of great grief, that’s where you look and immerse yourself. You realise you are not immortal, you are not a god, you are part of the natural world and you come to accept that.
If you don't know where you're from, you'll have a hard time saying where you're going.
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius.
One who loses wealth loses much. One who loses a friend loses more. But one who loses courage loses all.
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
