The only things one can admire at length are those one admires without knowing why.

Books and Reading

Prerequisite for rereadability in books: that they be forgettable.

Future

There are certain moments when we might wish the future were built by men of the past.

Greatness

Greatness, in order to gain recognition, must all too often consent to ape greatness.

Involvement

One must either take an interest in the human situation or else parade before the void.

Modesty

We must watch over our modesty in the presence of those who cannot understand its grounds.

Purity

We are not naïve enough to ask for pure men; we ask merely for men whose impurity does not conflict with the obligations of their job.

Theory

One must credit an hypothesis with all that has had to be discovered in order to demolish it.