Nikolai Gogol

"The wise man questions everything, even his own wisdom."

"Laughter is the defense of those who have no other weapon."

"All human striving is ultimately futile."

"The greatest truths are often spoken in jest."

"We are prisoners of our own desires and appetites."

"Love is a madness that the wise choose willingly."

"The hand of fate guides us whether we will it or not."

"Education teaches us facts but rarely teaches us wisdom."

"The leader is merely the servant of greater forces."

"Our greatest achievements spring from our deepest sorrows."

"Peace is the dream of those exhausted by war."

"Nature indifferent to human suffering, continues its course."

"The writer is a mirror held up to the face of humanity."

"Science reveals only what nature wishes to conceal."

"The voice of reason is often drowned by passion's cry."

"We are shaped more by accident than by intention."

"The beautiful is often found in the overlooked and ordinary."

"Work is the curse of the thinking classes."

"Dreams are the only refuge from the harshness of waking life."

"The path of righteousness is often paved with suffering."

"We love most what we cannot possess."

"Justice is a concept invented by the weak to restrain the strong."

"Strength lies not in force but in understanding."

"The most terrible truths are those we already know."

"Adventure awaits those bold enough to leave their homes."

"Imagination is the only true freedom we possess."

"We are all strangers to ourselves."

"The passing of time is the only certainty in life."

"Motivation springs from necessity, not from hope."

"Relationships are mirrors in which we see our true selves."