“Intelligence is the lifeblood of the company”

“Intelligence is only useful if it`s used”

“I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.”

“If there is anyone here whom I have not insulted, I beg his pardon.”

“Friede – wie Freundschaft – setzt Achtung voraus.”

“Deceptions of the senses are the truths of perception.”

“Leave off driving your composers. It might prove to be as dangerous as it is generally unnecessary. After all, composing cannot be turned out like spinning or sewing. Some respected colleagues (Bach, Mozart, Schubert) have spoilt the world terribly. But if we can’t imitate them in the beauty of their writing, we should certainly beware of seeking to match the speed of their writing. It would also be unjust to put all the blame on idleness alone. Many factors combine to make writing harder for us (my contemporaries), and especially me. If, incidentally, they would use us poets for some other purpose, they would see that we are thoroughly and naturally industrious dispositions . . . . I have no time: otherwise I should love to chat on the difficulty of composing and how irresponsible publishers are.”