Without a firm idea of himself and the purpose of his life, man cannot live, and would sooner destroy himself than remain on earth, even if he was surrounded by bread.

The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.

The whole work of man really seems to consist in nothing but proving to himself every minute that he is a man and not a piano key.

There is something at the bottom of every new human thought, every thought of genius, or even every earnest thought that springs up in any brain, which can never be communicated to others, even if one were to write volumes about it and were explaining one's idea for thirty-five years; there's something left which cannot be induced to emerge from your brain, and remains with you forever; and with it you will die, without communicating to anyone perhaps the most important of your ideas.

At the core of life is a hard purposefulness, a determination to live.

To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's.