“This is the real thing of disillusion that no one, not any one really is believing, seeing, understanding, thinking anything as you are thinking, believing, seeing, understanding such a thing.”

It is extraordinary that whole populations have no projects for the future, none at all. It certainly is extraordinary, but it is certainly true.

From the very nature of progress, all ages must be transitional.

One must dare to be happy.

Nature is commonplace. Imitation is more interesting.

It is inevitable when one has a great need of something one finds it. What you need you attract like a lover.

War is never fatal but always lost. Always lost.

Everybody thinks that this civilization has lasted a very long time but it really does take very few grandfathers’ granddaughters to take us back to the dark ages.

It takes a lot of time to be a genius, you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing.

This is the lesson that history teaches: repetition.

A great deal of beauty is rapture. A circle is a necessity. Otherwise you would see no one. We each have our circle.

It is extraordinary that when you are acquainted with a whole family you can forget about them.

The way to resume is to resume. It is the only way. To resume.

I have declared that patience is never more than patient. I too have declared, that I who am not patient am patient.

The creator of the new composition in the arts is an outlaw until he is a classic.

I am writing for myself and strangers. This is the only way that I can do it.

Anyone who marries three girls from St Louis hasn’t learned much.

Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.

In the beginning there was faith – which is childish; trust – which is vain; and illusion – which is dangerous.

Life balance is a myth. It’s an illusion and the very pursuit of it is driving us crazy. For me it’s about proportion – it’s really a work hard/play hard equation.

You don’t have to bathe every day to look clean. It’s just an illusion.

But he could not renounce his infinite capacity for illusion at the very moment he needed it most… he saw fireflies where there were none.

Juggling is an illusion. In reality, the balls are being independently caught and thrown in rapid succession. It is actually task switching.

It is respectable to have no illusions, and safe, and profitable and dull.

Arriving someplace more desirable at some future time is an illusion. This is it.