A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free. Essays and Aphorisms

Take away ambition and vanity, and where will be your heroes and patriots? Day's Collacon

You would say... inexperienced as I am, and ready to start, as the proverb says, at my own shadow, I cannot afford to give up the sure ground of principle. ...and when you are further required to give an explanation of this principle, you would go on to assume a higher principle, and the best of the higher ones, until you found a resting place; but you would not refuse the principle and consequences in your reasoning like the Eristics—at least if you wanted to discover real existence. The Trials Of Socrates

People who feel entitled view every occurrence in their life as either an affirmation of, or a threat to, their own greatness. The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*Ck