“A man is too insignificant to be preoccupied with his failures. All of the energy he has is required for attending to the loneliness, the pain, the needs of others.”

“He who knows other men is discerning;he who knows himself is intelligent.He who overcomes others is strong;he who overcomes himself is mighty.He who is satisfied with his lot is rich;he who goes on acting with energy has a (firm) will. He who does not fail in the requirements of his position, continues long;he who dies and yet does not perish, has longevity.”

“The more attuned you are to your partner's needs at the early stages -- and he or she to yours -- the less energy you will need to expend attending to him or her later.”

“The captain has said too much or he has said too little, and I'm bound to say that I require an explanation of his words.”

“It must be that there is something naturally absurd in a sincere emotion, though why there should be I cannot imagine, unless it is that man, the ephemeral inhabitant of an insignificant planet, with all his pain and all his striving is but a jest in an eternal mind. ”

“On principle' one can do anything and what one does is, fundamentally, a matter of indifference, just as a man's life remains insignificant even though 'on principle' he gives his support to all the 'needs of the times.”