Society is a madhouse whose wardens are the officials and the police.

Society is a madhouse whose wardens are the officials and the police.

There arises from a bad and inapt formation of words, a wonderful obstruction to the mind.

There arises from a bad and inapt formation of words, a wonderful obstruction to the mind.

We believe at once in evil, we only believe in good upon reflection. Is this not sad?.

We believe at once in evil, we only believe in good upon reflection. Is this not sad?.

There is apparently no surer way of turning a thing into its opposite than by exaggerating it.

There is apparently no surer way of turning a thing into its opposite than by exaggerating it.

If a donkey bray at you, don't bray at him.

If a donkey bray at you, don't bray at him.

The more backwoodish a social group, juvenile or adult, the stricter its conception of the normal, and the readier it read more

The more backwoodish a social group, juvenile or adult, the stricter its conception of the normal, and the readier it will ridicule any departure from it.

Take your work seriously, but never yourself.

Take your work seriously, but never yourself.

The real cause of personal existence is not the favor of the Almighty, but the sexual love of one's earthly read more

The real cause of personal existence is not the favor of the Almighty, but the sexual love of one's earthly parents.

We must think of human progress, not as of something going on in the race in general, but as something read more

We must think of human progress, not as of something going on in the race in general, but as something going on in a small minority, perpetually beleaguered in a few walled towns. Now and then the horde of barbarians outside breaks through, and we have an armed effort to halt the process. That is, we have a Reformation, a French Revolution, a war for democracy, a Great Awakening. The minority is decimated and driven to cover. But a few survive- and a few are enough to carry on.