Unlike the pattern which seems to prevail in the rest of life, in the human species the weak not only survive but often triumph over the strong. The self-hatred inherent in the weak unlocks energies far more formidable then those mobilized by an ordinary struggle for existence.
I can never forget that one of the most gifted, best educated nations in the world, of its own free will, surrendered its fate into the hands of a maniac.
The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.
To learn you need a certain degree of confidence, not too much and not too little. If you have too little confidence, you will think you can’t learn. If you have too much, you will think you don’t have to learn.
It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one’s neighbor.
You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.
The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.
People unfit for freedom – who cannot do much with it – are hungry for power. The desire for freedom is an attribute of a “have” type of self. It says: leave me alone and I shall grow, learn, and realize my capacities. The desire for power is basically an attribute of a “have not” type of self.
It is futile to judge a kind deed by its motives. Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.
The greatest weariness comes from work not done.
Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some. We are less dissatisfied when we lack many things than when we seem to lack but one thing.
Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life.
A dissenting minority feels free only when it can impose its will on the majority: what it abominates most is the dissent of the majority.
It is thus with most of us; we are what other people say we are. We know ourselves chiefly by hearsay.
We probably have a greater love for those we support than for those who support us. Our vanity carries more weight than our self-interest.
The capacity for getting along with our neighbor depends to a large extent on the capacity for getting along with ourselves. The self-respecting individual will try to be as tolerant of his neighbor’s shortcomings as he is of his own.
Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless.
There is no loneliness greater than the loneliness of a failure. The failure is a stranger in his own house.
Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power.
A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people’s business.