“Conventional people are roused to fury by departure from convention, largely because they regard such departure as a criticism of themselves.”

What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite.

To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.

Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool’s paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.

Politics is largely governed by sententious platitudes which are devoid of truth.

Love can flourish only as long as it is free and spontaneous; it tends to be killed by the thought of duty. To say that it is your duty to love so-and-so is the surest way to cause you to hate him of her.

A man is rational in proportion as his intelligence informs and controls his desires.

Nothing is so exhausting as indecision, and nothing is so futile.

None of our beliefs are quite true; all have at least a penumbra of vagueness and error.

Language serves not only to express thought but to make possible thoughts that could not exist without it.

The secret of happiness is very simple: let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile.

One must care about a world one will not see.

To write a tragedy, a man must feel the tragedy. To feel tragedy, a man must be aware of the world in which he lives. Not only with his mind, but with his blood and sinews.

The demand for certainty is one that is natural to man but is nevertheless an intellectual vice.

The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn.

Freedom of opinion can only exist when the government thinks itself secure.

Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so.

No person is important enough to make me angry.

Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.

When you are unable to speak your mind clearly, you become angry.

The ego is your enemy, not your friend. It is the ego that gives you wounds and hurts you. It is the ego that makes you violent, angry, jealous, competitive. It is the ego that is continuously comparing and feeling miserable.

You have not seen power until you have witnessed a soft thing unleash fire from her eyes.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Hot heads do not give good feedback – choose a better time.