All cruelty springs from weakness.

All cruelty springs from weakness.

Our originality shows itself most strikingly not in what we wholly originate but in what we do with that which read more

Our originality shows itself most strikingly not in what we wholly originate but in what we do with that which we borrow from others.

...the more original a discovery the more obvious it seems afterwards.

...the more original a discovery the more obvious it seems afterwards.

Opposition to the truth is inevitable, especially if it takes the form of a new idea, but the degree of read more

Opposition to the truth is inevitable, especially if it takes the form of a new idea, but the degree of resistance can be diminished- by giving thought not only to the aim but to the method of approach. Avoid a frontal attack on a long established position; instead, seek to turn it by flank movement, so that a more penetrable side is exposed to the thrust of truth. But, in any such indirect approach, take care not to diverge from the truth- for nothing is more fatal to its real advancement than to lapse into untruth.

We have rudiments of reverence for the human body, but we consider as nothing the rape of the human mind.

We have rudiments of reverence for the human body, but we consider as nothing the rape of the human mind.

The short-lived self, teetering on the edge of extinction, is the only thing that can ever really matter.

The short-lived self, teetering on the edge of extinction, is the only thing that can ever really matter.

First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits, or they'll eventually conquer you.

First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits, or they'll eventually conquer you.

A line runs from the meditations of the heart to the words of the mouth. The meditations are not clear read more

A line runs from the meditations of the heart to the words of the mouth. The meditations are not clear to us until the mouth utters its words. If what the mouth utters is unclear or foolish or mendacious, it must be that the meditations are the same. But the line runs both ways. The words of the mouth will become the meditations of the heart, and the habit of loose talk loosens the fastenings of our understanding.

...it is always advisable to perceive clearly our ignorance.

...it is always advisable to perceive clearly our ignorance.