Quotes

Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.

We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.

Happiness is an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue.

Whoever has ever built a new heaven found the strength for it only in his own hell.

One must be a sea to be able to receive a polluted stream without becoming unclean.

The most common lie is the one with which a man deceives himself.

There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.

Man is a rope, tied between beast and overman — a rope over an abyss.

One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.

A reasonable and just man begins with himself first: he examines and considers himself, judges and condemns himself, and does not forgive himself where he is in the wrong.

A sensible man is ashamed to meddle in what he is not skilled in, while a senseless one thinks it a great shame if he does not poke his nose in everywhere.

A whole society, and each person on their own as well, when not guided by sound reason and wise counsel, must of necessity suffer and fall into ruin.