Our faith in others betrays that we would rather have faith in ourselves. Our longing for a friend is our betrayer. And often with our love we want m… - Friedrich Nietzsche

One must learn to love. — This is what happens to us in music: first one has to learn to hear a figure and melody at all, to detect and distinguish it, to isolate it and delimit it as a separate life; then it requires some exertion and good will to tolerate it in spite of its strangeness, to be patient with its appearance and expression, and kindhearted about its oddity: — finally there comes a moment when we are used to it, when we wait for it, when we sense that we should miss it if it were missing: and now it continues to compel and enchant us relentlessly until we have become its humble and enraptured lovers who desire nothing better from the world than it and only it. — But that is what happens to us not only in music: that is how we have learned to love all things that we now love. In the end we are always rewarded for our good will, our patience, fairmindedness, and gentleness with what is strange; gradually, it sheds its veil and turns out to be a new and indescribable beauty: — that is its thanks for our hospitality. Even those who love themselves will have learned it in this way: for there is no other way. Love, too, has to be learned.

لا يكفي لطالب الحقيقة أن يكون مخلصاً في قصده، بل عليه أن يترصد أخلاصه، ويقف موقف المشكك فيها؛ لأن عاشق الحقيقة إنما يحبها لا لنفسه مجاراةً لأهوائه، بل يهيم بها لذاتها ولو كان ذلك مخالفاً لعقيدته، فإذا هو اعترضته فكرة ناقضت مبدأه وجب عليه أن يقف عندها فلا يتردد أن يأخذ بها.
إياك أن تقف حائلاً بين فكرتك وبين ما يُنافيها، فلا يبلغ أولَ درجة من الحكمة مَنْ لا يعمل بهذه الوصية.
عليك أن تُصلى نفسك كل يومٍ حرباً وليس لك أن تُبالى بما تجنيه من نصر أو تجنى علبك جهودك من اندحار، فإن ذلك من شأن الحقيقة لا من شأنك.

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.