“It is not the real punishment. The only effectual one, the only deterrent and softening one, lies in the recognition of sin by conscience.”

“The man who has a conscience suffers whilst acknowledging his sin. That is his punishment.”

“And a real, undoubted grief is sometimes capable of making a solid and steadfast man even out of a phenomenally light-minded one, if only for a short time; moreover, real and true grief has sometimes even made fools more intelligent, also only for a time, of course; grief has this property.”

“My friend, I've been lying all my life. Even when I was telling the truth. I never spoke for the truth, but only for myself, I knew that before, but only now do I see...Oh, where are those friends whom I have insulted with my friendship all my life? And everyone, everyone! Savez-vous, perhaps I'm lying now; certainly I'm also lying now. The worst of it is that I believe myself when I lie. The most difficult thing in life is to live and not lie...and...and not believe one's own lie, yes, yes, that's precisely it!”

“..., and if one has only one good memory left in one's heart, even that may sometimes be the means of saving us.”

“One circumstance tormented me then: Namely, that no one else was like me, and I was like no one else. I am only one, and they are all.”

“Equality lies only in human moral dignity. ... Let there be brothers first, then there will be brotherhood, and only then will there be a fair sharing of goods among brothers.”