It is the awareness of unfulfilled desires which gives a nation the feeling that it has a mission and a read more

It is the awareness of unfulfilled desires which gives a nation the feeling that it has a mission and a destiny.

I cannot divine how it happens that the man who knows the least is the most argumentative.

I cannot divine how it happens that the man who knows the least is the most argumentative.

There is pleasure in calm remembrance of a past sorrow.

There is pleasure in calm remembrance of a past sorrow.

Nobody speaks the truth when there's something they must have.

Nobody speaks the truth when there's something they must have.

Voluptuaries, consumed by their senses, always begin by flinging themselves with a great display of frenzy into an abyss. But read more

Voluptuaries, consumed by their senses, always begin by flinging themselves with a great display of frenzy into an abyss. But they survive, they come to the surface again. And they develop a routine of the abyss: "It's four o clock. At five I have my abyss... ".

The term up has no meaning apart from the word down. The term fast has no meaning apart from the read more

The term up has no meaning apart from the word down. The term fast has no meaning apart from the term slow. In addition such terms have no meaning even when used together, except when confined to a very particular situation... most of our language about the organization and objective's of government is made up of such polar terms. Justice and injustice are typical. A reformer who wants to abolish injustice and create a world in which nothing but justice prevails is like a man who wants to make everything up. Such a man might feel that if he took the lowest in the world and carried it up to the highest point and kept on doing this, everything would eventually become up. This would certainly move a great many objects and create an enormous amount of activity. It might or might not be useful, according to the standards which we apply. However it would never result in the abolishment of down.

Lying is an indispensable part of making life tolerable.

Lying is an indispensable part of making life tolerable.

Everything ultimately fails, for we die, and that is either the penultimate failure or our most enigmatical achievement.

Everything ultimately fails, for we die, and that is either the penultimate failure or our most enigmatical achievement.

To begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as read more

To begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.