He who never sacrificed a present to a future good or a personal to a general one can speak of happiness only as the blind do of colors.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.
He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts.
The world assumes that we are very happy with high mansions, fine carriages, servants and attendants, huge investments, and concubines. But he who is without the honor and strength of the soul can be anything but happy.
He that can heroically endure adversity will bear prosperity with equal greatness of soul; for the mind that cannot be dejected by the former is not likely to be transported with the later.
Happiness lies so far from man, but he must begin by daring to will it.
What matters poverty? What matters anything to him who is enamoured of our art? Does he not carry in himself every joy and every beauty?
With no matter what human being, taken individually, I always find reasons for concluding that sorrow and misfortune do not suit him; either because he seems too mediocre for anything so great, or, on the contrary, too precious to be destroyed.
He was one of those men who possess almost every gift, except the gift of the power to use them.
Man's only true happiness is to live in hope of something to be won by him. Reverence something to be worshipped by him, and love something to be cherished by him, forever.
Happy is he who has gained the wealth of divine thoughts, wretched is he whose beliefs about the gods are dark.