“It was Plato who bridged the gap between poetry and philosophy; for, in his work, appearance, despised by his Eleatic and Sophist predecessors, became a reflected image of perfection. He set poets the task of writing philosophically, not only in the sense of giving instruction, but in the sense of striving, by the imitation of appearance, to arrive at its true essence and to show its insufficiency measured by the beauty of the Idea.”

“Abraham’s actions are explained not only by what is happening to him at the moment, nor yet only by his character (as Achilles’ actions by his courage and his pride, and Odysseus’ by his versatility and foresightedness), but by his previous history; he remembers, he is constantly conscious of, what God has promised him and what God has already accomplished for him—his soul is torn between desperate rebellion and hopeful expectation; his silent obedience is multilayered, has background. Such a problematic psychological situation as this is impossible for any of the Homeric heroes, whose destiny is clearly defined and who wake every morning as if it were the first day of their lives: their emotions, though strong, are simple and find expression instantly.”

“The Scripture stories do not, like Homer’s, court our favor, they do not flatter us that they may please us and enchant us—they seek to subject us, and if we refuse to be subjected we are rebels.”

“Adil olanin pesinden gidilmesi dogrudur, en guclunun pesinden gidilmesi ise kacinilmazdir. Gucu olmayan adalet acizdir; adaleti olmayan guc ise zalim. Gucu olmayan adalete mutlaka bir karsi cikan olur, cunku kotu insanlar her zaman vardir. Adaleti olmayan guc ise tohmet altinda kalir. Demek ki adalet ile gucu bir araya getirmek gerek; bunu yapabilmek icin de adil olanin guclu, guclu olanin ise adil olmasi gerekir. Adalet tartismaya aciktir. Guc ise ilk bakista tartisilmaz bir bicimde anlasilir. Bu nedenle gucu adalete veremedik, cunku guc, adalete karsi cikip kendisinin adil oldugunu soylemisti. Hakli olanin guclu kilamadigimiz icin de guclu olani hakli kildik.”

“What does one person give to another? He gives of himself, of the most precious he has, he gives of his life. This does not necessarily mean that he sacrifices his life for the other—but that he gives him of that which is alive in him; he gives him of his joy, of his interest, of his understanding, of his knowledge, of his humor, of his sadness—of all expressions and manifestations of that which is alive in him. In thus giving of his life, he enriches the other person, he enhances the other's sense of aliveness by enhancing his own sense of aliveness. He does not give in order to receive; giving is in itself exquisite joy. But in giving he cannot help bringing something to life in the other person, and this which is brought to life reflects back to him.”

“Man's main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is. The most important product of his effort is his own personality.”

“Take for instance a man driven to incessant work by a sense of deep insecurity and loneliness; or another one driven by ambition, or greed for money. In all these cases the person is the slave of a passion, and his activity is in reality a "passivity" because he is driven; he is the sufferer, not the "actor." On the other hand a man sitting quiet and contemplating, with no purpose or aim except that of experiencing himself and his oneness with the world, is considered to be "passive", because he is not "doing" anything. In reality, this attitude of concentrated meditation is the highest activity there is, an activity of the soul, which is possible only under the condition of inner freedom and independence.”