If I felt that one of my operas did not come off I would certainly say so.
All power is indeed weak compared with that of the thinker. He sits upon the throne of his Empire of Thought, mightier far than they who wield material sceptres.
Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
Our first and last love is self-love.
We fear things in proportion to our ignorance of them.
It is the passion that is in a kiss that gives to it its sweetness; it is the affection in a kiss that sanctifies it.
When all else is lost, the future still remains.
Cruelty to animals is one of the most significant vices of a low and ignoble people. Wherever one notices them, they constitute a sign of ignorance and brutality which cannot be painted over even by all the evidence of wealth and luxury.
Life is short and there will always be dirty dishes, so let's dance.
I think of every book as a single entity, and some have later gone on to become a series, often at the request of readers.
No god should ever be invoked to inflict harm.