By despising all that has preceded us, we teach others to despise ourselves.

Wordsare, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.

The mostimportant things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them.

Thetorment of human frustration, whatever its immediate cause,is the knowledge that the self is in prison, its vital force and ‘mangledmind’ leaking away in lonely, wasteful self-conflict.

Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, Beautiful old people are works of art.

Can we do good to the world? In an absolute sense, no; in a relative sense, yes.

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.

Power is a little like alcohol: the faster it is consumed, the more quickly it affects the brain.

Commonsense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.

Honesty once pawned is never redeemed.

Consistencyis the hobgoblin of little minds.

When a man meets his mates society begins.