I saw that I'd get nowhere on the straight path, and that to go crookedly was straighter.

---

The current generation now sees everything clearly, it marvels at the errors, it laughs at the folly of its ancestors, not seeing that this chronicle is all overscored by divine fire, that every letter of it cries out, that from everywhere the piercing finger is pointed at it, at this current generation; but the current generation laughs and presumptuously, proudly begins a series of new errors, at which their descendants will also laugh afterwards.

---

We have the marvelous gift of making everything insignificant.

---

But there is nothing enduring in the world, and therefore even joy in the second minute is already not as acute as in the first; in the third minute it becomes still weaker and finally merges unnoticeably with the usual condition of the soul, as a circle on the water, caused by the fall of a pebble, finally merges with the smooth surface.

---

A word aptly uttered or written cannot be cut away by an axe.

---

However stupid a fools words may be, they are sometimes enough to confound an intelligent man.

---

Let me warn you, if you start chasing after views, you'll be left without bread and without views.

---

Everywhere across whatever sorrows of which our life is woven, some radiant joy will gaily flash past.

---

Nothing could be more pleasant than to live in solitude, enjoy the spectacle of nature, and occasionally read some book.

---

Perfect nonsense goes on in the world. Sometimes there is no plausibility at all

---