“Most men seem to live according to sense rather than reason.”

“How is it they live in such harmony, the billions of stars, when most men can barely go a minute without declaring war in their minds?”

“Rarely affirm, seldom deny, always distinguish.”

“It is necessary for the perfection of human society that there should be men who devote their lives to contemplation.”

“I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it. I would hope to act with compassion without thinking of personal gain.”

“Better to illuminate than merely to shine to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.”

“It is not theft, properly speaking, to take secretly and use another's property in a case of extreme need: because that which he takes for the support of his life becomes his own property by reason of that need”