"One must be a fox in order to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten off wolves."

"There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantages of others."

"Ambition is so powerful a passion in the human breast, that however high we reach we are never satisfied."

"Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it."

"Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved."

"War cannot be avoided; it can only be postponed to the other's advantage."

"To the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee."

"Every great work, every great accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement, comes apparent failure and discouragement."

"After all, what is your hosts' purpose in having a party? Surely not for you to enjoy yourself; if that were their sole purpose, they'd have simply sent champagne and women over to your place by taxi."

"I can forgive Alfred Nobel for having invented dynamite, but only a fiend in human form could have invented the Nobel Prize."

"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."

"Our ability to delude ourselves may be an important survival tool."