"The creation of a line of forts opposite to the French frontier will enable the German troops to be economized on that line and will enable the main forces to swing round through Belgium and Holland."

"The shortest and surest way of arriving at real knowledge is to unlearn the lessons we have been taught, to mount the first principles, and take nobody's word about them."

"When having a smackerel of something with a friend, don't eat so much that you get stuck in the doorway trying to get out."

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."

"If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, just what does an empty desk mean?"

"Darling: the popular form of address used in speaking to a person of the opposite sex whose name you cannot at the moment recall"

"Because he once wrote, 'We must love one another or die,' he can command me to follow him."

"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on."

"Life is an effort that deserves a better cause."

"If you don't like your own character there may be a new one ready-made and waiting for you. The snake sheds its skin with impunity, relying on the same nature which you rely on."

"Life is tragic for those who have plenty to live on and nothing to live for."

"Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can't build on it; it's only for wallowing in."