“Know mankind well, don't degrade every man as evil, and don't exalt every man thinking he is good. He who cannot discover himself; cannot discover the world.”

“Man cannot make principles, he can only discover them.”

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

“He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.”

“Do you not know that there comes a midnight hour when every one has to throw off his mask? Do you believe that life will always let itself be mocked? Do you think you can slip away a little before midnight in order to avoid this? Or are you not terrified by it? I have seen men in real life who so long deceived others that at last their true nature could not reveal itself;... In every man there is something which to a certain degree prevents him from becoming perfectly transparent to himself; and this may be the case in so high a degree, he may be so inexplicably woven into relationships of life which extend far beyond himself that he almost cannot reveal himself. But he who cannot reveal himself cannot love, and he who cannot love is the most unhappy man of all.”

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.”