“It is safer to be silent than to reveal one’s secret to any one, and telling him not to mention it.”

Expose not the secret failings of mankind, otherwise you must verily bring scandal upon them and distrust upon yourself.

A tree, freshly rooted, may be pulled up by one man on his own. Give it time, and it will not be moved, even with a crane.

He who lives upon the fruit of his own labor, escapes the contempt of haughty benefactors.

People are crying up the rich and variegated plumage of the peacock, and he is himself blushing at the sight of his ugly feet.

Whatever makes an impression on the heart seems lovely in the eye.

A friend whom you have been gaining during your whole life, you ought not to be displeased with in a moment. A stone is many years becoming a ruby – take care that you do not destroy it in an instant against another stone.

When a mean wretch cannot vie with another in virtue, out of his wickedness he begins to slander. The abject envious wretch will slander the virtuous man when absent, but when brought face to face his loquacious tongue becomes dumb.

It is better to break off a thousand friendships, than to endure the sight of a single enemy.

A man of virtue, judgment, and prudence speaks not until there is silence.

Whoever recounts to you the faults of your neighbour will doubtless expose your defects to others.

No person learned the art of archery from me, who did not in the end make me his target.

To pardon the oppressor is to deal harshly with the oppressed.

If a gem falls into mud it is still valuable. If dust ascends to heaven, it remains valueless.

Man is, beyond dispute, the most excellent of created beings, and the vilest animal is a dog; but the sages agree that a grateful dog is better than an ungrateful man.

He who is indifferent to the suffering of others is a traitor to that which is truly human.

Holiness comes by holy deeds. Not starving flesh of daily needs.

Write for pleasure and publish for money.

Life is given only once, and one wants to live it boldly, with full conscious and beauty.

Genius, is the capacity to see ten things where the ordinary man sees one.

So long as one’s just dreaming about what to do, one can soar like an eagle and move mountains, it seems, but as soon as one starts doing it one gets worn out and tired.

I take no pride in my artistic talents; they are God-given and I see absolutely no reason to become puffed up over something that one has received.

One’s belief that one is sincere is not so dangerous as one’s conviction that one is right. We all feel we are right; but we felt the same way twenty years ago and today we know we weren’t always right.

All the best stories in the world are but one story in reality – the story of escape. It is the only thing which interests us all and at all times, how to escape.

To get to know a truth properly, one must polemicize it.