The finest works of art are precious, among other reasons, because they make it possible for us to know, if only imperfectly and for a little while, what it actually feels like to think subtly and feel nobly. Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are the dead.
Man approaches the unattainable truth through a succession of errors.
Defined in psychological terms, a fanatic is a man who consciously over-compensates a secret doubt. It's with bad sentiments that one makes good novels. Proverbs are always platitudes until you have personally experienced the truth of them. There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self. The more powerful and original a mind, the more it will incline towards the religion of solitude.