The spirit in which a thing is given determines that in which the gift is acknowledged; it is the intention, not the face-value of the gift, that is weighed. Epistulae morales ad Lucilium
Every living creature is happy when he fulfills his destiny, that is, when he realizes himself, when he is being that which in truth he is. For this reason, Schlegel, inverting the relationship between pleasure and destiny, said, “We have a genius for what we like.” Genius, man’s superlative gift for doing something, always carries a look of supreme pleasure. History as a System
Marriage may be compared to a cage: the birds outside despair to get in and those within despair to get out. Essays
It is not fit that I should give myself pain, for I have never intentionally given pain even to another. Book VIII
Quotes