“Fear is the only consequence of every sort of falsehood.”

“Above all, avoid lies, all lies, especially the lie to yourself. Keep watch on your own lie and examine it every hour, every minute. And avoid contempt, both of others and of yourself: what seems bad to you in yourself is purified by the very fact that you have noticed it in yourself. And avoid fear, though fear is simply the consequence of every lie. Never be frightened at your own faintheartedness in attaining love, and meanwhile do not even be very frightened by your own bad acts.”

“And what if there are only spiders there, or something of that sort”

“But yet I am firmly persuaded that a great deal of consciousness, every sort of consciousness, in fact, is a disease.”

“It is man's unique privilege, among all other organisms. By pursuing falsehood you will arrive at the truth!”

“My friend, the truth is always implausible, did you know that? To make the truth more plausible, it's absolutely necessary to mix a bit of falsehood with it. People have always done so.”

“to a woman all reformation, all salvation from any sort of ruin, and all moral renewal is included in love and can only show itself in that form.”