If you think only of evil, then you become pessimistic and hopeless like Freud. But if you think there is no evil, then you’re just one more deluded Pollyanna.

Man consists of two parts, his mind and his body, only the body has more fun.

Forward, as occasion offers. Never look round to see whether any shall note it… Be satisfied with success in even the smallest matter, and think that even such a result is no trifle.

Premature certainty is the enemy of the truth.

As long as your body is healthy and under control and death is distant, try to save your soul; when death is immanent what can you do?

Only that thing is free which exists by the necessities of its own nature, and is determined in its actions by itself alone.

O wretched man, wretched not just because of what you are, but also because you do not know how wretched you are!

We cannot despair of humanity, since we ourselves are human beings.

We should learn to accept that change is truly the only thing that’s going on always, and learn to ride with it and enjoy it.

Religion is the frozen thought of man out of which they build temples.

Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.

God is a concept by which we measure our pain.

Shame is the most powerful, master emotion. It’s the fear that we’re not good enough.

Philosophically considered, the universe is composed of Nature and the Soul. Strictly speaking, therefore, all that is separate from us, all which Philosophy distinguishes as the ‚Not Me,‘ that is, both nature and art, all other men and my own body, must be ranked under this name, ‚Nature.‘

Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being.

I think the most important thing is to keep active and to hope that your mind stays active.

The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us. Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.

Men are what their mothers made them.

The fool wonders, the wise man asks.

I’m always happy to blow up any misconceptions that people have about stage school cos everyone thinks it’s really nasty there but it’s not.

Have you ever thought how humiliating and distressing it was to be placed upon a sphere? For friendship it is a boon never to be able to be further apart than the antipodes. But suppose that you are leaving together to go on and on; it is impossible. To go beyond a certain point is to return to where you began.

We are here and it is now. Further than that, all human knowledge is moonshine.

The important question is not, what will yield to man a few scattered pleasures, but what will render his life happy on the whole amount.

Never say anything about yourself you do not want to come true.

No school of philosophy has ever solved this question of whether being determines consciousness or the other way around. It may be a false antithesis.

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.

Joy is the serious business of Heaven.

There is, so I believe, in the essence of everything, something that we cannot call learning. There is, my friend, only a knowledge – that is everywhere.

In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into contact with reality at any point.

The human mind is our fundamental resource.

I’ve learned never to say never.

One who does not know when to die, does not know how to live.

There is nothing insignificant in the world. It all depends on the point of view.

‚They‘ is… stay away from them, please. There is so many different definitions of ‚they.‘ You might have a personal ‚they.‘ They against you; they want you broken and miserable. They don’t like winners; they don’t like people who’s blessed. So everybody’s got a different ‚they.‘

Happy the people whose annals are vacant.

Many of my fans often tell me that they listen to my songs to get through things. And therefore, obviously, I hope that they can picture being in a place where things are better… I hope my songs can bring people to a calm place.

Small amounts of philosophy lead to atheism, but larger amounts bring us back to God.

No; we have been as usual asking the wrong question. It does not matter a hoot what the mockingbird on the chimney is singing. The real and proper question is: Why is it beautiful?

Man is an idea, and a precious small idea once he turns his back on love.

Existence precedes and rules essence.

Man’s greatness lies in his power of thought.

Whatever deceives men seems to produce a magical enchantment.

It is said that the present is pregnant with the future.

Which death is preferably to every other? ‚The unexpected‘.

I am a part of everything that I have read.

A fit body gives you confidence. And there’s nothing more impressive than a great attitude, which you can wear on your sleeve. But you’ll have to remember the difference between being rude and being confident.

I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it’s the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It’s probably the most important thing in a person.

You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.

That God does not exist, I cannot deny, That my whole being cries out for God I cannot forget.

‚Pure experience‘ is the name I gave to the immediate flux of life which furnishes the material to our later reflection with its conceptual categories.

The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent.

What the devil is the point of surviving, going on living, when it’s a drag? But you see, that’s what people do.

I don’t think there is any philosophy that suggests having polio is a good thing.

It is not when truth is dirty, but when it is shallow, that the lover of knowledge is reluctant to step into its waters.

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; the Named is the mother of all things.

If there is no God, everything is permitted.

The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things.

Your most important work is always ahead of you, never behind you.

Off with you! You’re a happy fellow, for you’ll give happiness and joy to many other people. There is nothing better or greater than that!

It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives. The act of dying is not of importance, it lasts so short a time.