Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness.

If a man speaks or acts with pure thought, happiness follows him like a shadow that never leaves him

The exercise of power is determined by thousands ofinteractions between the world of the powerful and that of the powerless, allthe more so because these worlds are never divided by a sharp line: everyonehas a small part of himself in both.

There is no knowledge that is not power.

It is long and hard and painful to create life; it is short and easy to steal the life others have made.

Blessed are they who have nothing to say and who cannot be persuaded to say it.

Knowingthat everything's futile but still fighting, still raging against the dying ofthe light that's what motivates me all the time ... If you hold that sense offutility in your head for too long, it can begin to eat into you. You canstill be aware of it

Like aball batted back and forth, a human being is batted by two forces within.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.

In anyfree society, the conflict between social conformity and individual libertyis permanent, unresolvable, and necessary.

To rule is not so much a question of the heavy hand as the firm seat.

A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor is a man perfected without trials.