“seriousness, young man, is an accident of time”

“You should not take old people who are already dead seriously. It does them injustice. We immortals do not like things to be taken seriously. We like joking. Seriousness, young man, is an accident of time. It consists, I don't mind telling you in confidence, in putting too high a value on time. I, too, once put too high a value on time. For that reason I wished to be a hundred years old. In eternity, however, there is no time, you see. Eternity is a mere moment, just long enough for a joke.”

“Seriousness is an accident of time. It consists of putting too high a value on time. In eternity there is no time. Eternity is a moment, just long enough for a joke”

“I'm simply an accident. Why take it all so seriously?”

“A weak man is just by accident. A strong but non-violent man is unjust by accident.”

“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. ”