"What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears."

"Remember that you are an actor in a play, and the play is just as the author wishes it to be. If he wants it to be short, it is short; if long, it is long. If he wants you to play a beggar, play him c…"

"Imagine a dog tied to a cart. If the dog wants to follow, it follows, adding its own will to the inevitable. But if the dog refuses to follow, it will be dragged along anyway."

"Never say about anything, 'I have lost it,' but only 'I have given it back.' Has your child died? It has been given back. Has your wife died? She has been given back. Has your estate been taken from y…"

"If you are struck by the appearance of any promised pleasure, guard yourself against being carried away by it; but let this thought wait for you, 'How long will it last, and then how much remorse and …"