Most of the time one is discouraged by the work, 

but now and again 

by some grace 

something stands out 

and invites you to work on it, 

to elaborate it 

or animate it in some way. 

It's a mysterious process.

The path of least resistance is the path of the loser.

I am optimistic 

when I consider the spiritual dimension 

which the scientist's discipline 

forces him to ignore.

Mediocre minds usually dismiss anything which reaches beyond their own understanding.

The greatest writers of this age ... 

are aware of the mystery of our existence.

The plain fact is that there are no conclusions.

Every new concept first comes to the mind in a judgment.

My personal hobbies are reading, 

listening to music, 

and silence.

When somebody goes outside the cultural norms, 

the culture has to protect itself.

We carry our homes within us 

which enables us to fly.

On our plane 

knowledge and ignorance 

are the immemorial adversaries.

Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, 

before the dark hour of reason grows.

None are more hopelessly enslaved 

than those who falsely believe they are free.

Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness 

and just be happy.

Only mediocrity can be trusted to be always at its best.

It is the childlike mind that finds the kingdom.

Toil without song 

is like 

a weary journey 

without an end.

He who would search for pearls 

must dive below.

If you're losing your soul and you know it, 

then you've still got a soul left to lose.

It is easy to ignore responsibility 

when one is only an intermediate link in a chain of action.

The loss of a friend is like that of a limb; 

time may heal the anguish of the wound, 

but the loss cannot be repaired.

They say eyes clear with age.

Wisdom denotes the pursuing of the best ends by the best means.

In the long years 

liker they must grow; 

The man be more of woman, 

she of man.

Man has no right to kill his brother. 

It is no excuse that he does so in uniform: 

he only adds the infamy of servitude 

to the crime of murder.

Life is a wave, 

which in no two consecutive moments of its existence 

is composed of the same particles.

To know one thing, 

you must know the opposite.

It is impossible to speak in such a way 

that you cannot be misunderstood.

The single biggest problem in communication 

is the illusion that it has taken place.

As far as we can discern, 

the sole purpose of human existence 

is to kindle a light 

in the darkness 

of mere being.

The secret of genius 

is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, 

which means 

never losing your enthusiasm.

We become what we behold. 

We shape our tools 

and then our tools shape us.

A short cut to riches 

is to subtract from our desires.

The historian of science may be tempted to exclaim 

that when paradigms change, 

the world itself changes with them.

 

Without a knowledge of mythology 

much of the elegant literature of our own language 

cannot be understood and appreciated.

I throw a spear into the darkness. 

That is intuition. 

Then I must send an army into the darkness to find the spear. 

That is intellect.

The universe is wider than our views of it.

In any field, 

find the strangest thing 

and then explore it.

I am hitting my head against the walls, 

but the walls are giving way.

Life is a horizontal fall.

Self-control means wanting to be effective 

at some random point 

in the infinite radiations 

of my spiritual existence.

Music is the pleasure the human mind experiences from counting 

without being aware that it is counting.

It is only with the heart 

that one can see rightly; 

what is essential 

is invisible to the eye.

I long remained a child, 

and I am still one in many respects.

Each generation imagines itself 

to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, 

and wiser than the one that comes after it.

Common sense is judgment without reflection, 

shared by an entire class, 

an entire nation, 

or the entire human race.

The best work is not what is most difficult for you; 

it is what you do best.

Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything, 

we ought to know a little about everything.

Only those 

who attempt the absurd 

will achieve the impossible.

Suddenly a mist fell from my eyes 

and I knew the way I had to take.