Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or our worthlessness, we are almost impervious read more

Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or our worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear. Thus a feeling of utter worthlessness can be a source of courage.

The torment of human frustration, whatever its immediate cause, is the knowledge that the self is in prison, its vital read more

The torment of human frustration, whatever its immediate cause, is the knowledge that the self is in prison, its vital force and "mangled mind" leaking away in lonely, wasteful self-conflict.

Seek ye first the good things of the mind, and the rest will either be supplied or its loss will read more

Seek ye first the good things of the mind, and the rest will either be supplied or its loss will not be felt.

In every passionate pursuit, the pursuit counts more than the object pursued.

In every passionate pursuit, the pursuit counts more than the object pursued.

Obscurity is the refuge of incompetence.

Obscurity is the refuge of incompetence.

The true function of art is to...edit nature and so make it coherent and lovely. The artist is a sort read more

The true function of art is to...edit nature and so make it coherent and lovely. The artist is a sort of impassioned proofreader, blue-penciling the bad spelling of God.

The most basic inherent constraint is that neither time nor wisdom are free goods available in unlimited quantity. This means read more

The most basic inherent constraint is that neither time nor wisdom are free goods available in unlimited quantity. This means that in social processes, as in economic processes, it is not only impossible to attain perfection but irrational to seek perfection- or even to seek the "best possible" result in each separate instance.

Love and envy make a man pine, which other affections do not, because they are not so continual.

Love and envy make a man pine, which other affections do not, because they are not so continual.

It is not love of self but hatred of self which is at the root of the troubles that afflict read more

It is not love of self but hatred of self which is at the root of the troubles that afflict our world.