The continual endeavor of man should be to lessen the sum of suffering and cruelty: that is the first duty of humanity. - Romain Rolland

The newspapers of both countries give publicity only to prejudiced stories unfavorable to the enemy. One would imagine that they devote themselves to collecting only the worst cases, in order to preserve the atmosphere of hatred; and those to which they give predominance are often doubtful and always exceptional.

In politics, he has always been a republican with advanced Socialist sympathies, and internationalist at heart, and, as they said in the eighteenth century, a "citizen of the world." He has always fought social injustice. In art, he loves, above all, Beethoven, Shakespeare, and Goethe... Rembrandt is the painter dearest to him. But his chosen country is Italy.

با چشمان پر از اشک زمین وطن را که می‌بایست بدرود گوید می‌دید که در میان مه محو می‌شد…مگر نه او خود در آرزوی ترک آن بود؟ - بله؛ ولی اینک که آن را به‌راستی ترک می‌گفت، احساس دلهره می‌کرد. تنها قلب دام و دد می‌تواند بدون احساس تاثر از سرزمین مادری جدا شود. خوش‌بخت یا بدبخت، با هم زندگی کرده‌اند؛ شخص در میان او، روی او خوابیده‌است، سراپایش بدان آغشته است؛ وطن گنجینه‌ی رویاهای ما، زندگی گذشته‌ی ما، و خاکستر مقدس کسانی‌ست که دوست داشته‌ایم در سینه‌ی خود حفظ می‌کند.