“From fanaticism to barbarism is only one step.”

“Poetry must have something in it that is barbaric, vast and wild.”

“Scepticism is the first step towards truth.”

“As long as the centuries continue to unfold, the number of books will grow continually, and one can predict that a time will come when it will be almost as difficult to learn anything from books as from the direct study of the whole universe. It will be almost as convenient to search for some bit of truth concealed in nature as it will be to find it hidden away in an immense multitude of bound volumes.”

“We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter.”

“The best order of things, as I see it, is the one that includes me; to hell with the most perfect of worlds, if I'm not part of it.”

“Nothing is duller than a progression of common chords. One wants some contrast, which breaks up the clear white light and makes it iridescent.”