Almost every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it. - George Santayana

To be happy you must have taken the measure of your powers, tasted the fruits of your passion, and learned your place in the world.

Scepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and it is shameful to surrender it too soon or to the first comer: there is nobility in preserving it coolly and proudly through long youth, until at last, in the ripeness of instinct and discretion, it can be safely exchanged for fidelity and happiness.

Miracles are propitious accidents, the natural causes of which are too complicated to be readily understood.