Georg Brandes

But when I was twelve years old I caught my first strong glimpse of one of the fundamental forces of existence, whose votary I was destined to be for life - namely, Beauty. ”

Being gifted needs courage. ”

I was at home then in the world of figures, but not in that of values. ”

But I did not find any positive inspiration in my studies until I approached my nineteenth year. ”

Among the delights of Summer were picnics to the woods. ”

I was a town child, it is true, but that did not prevent me enjoying open-air life, with plants and animals. ”

My first experiences of academic friendship made me smile in after years when I looked back on them. But my circle of acquaintances had gradually grown so large that it was only natural new friendships should grow out of it. ”

Birth was something that came quite unexpectedly, and afterwards there was one child more in the house. ”

I encountered among my comrades the most varied human traits, from frankness to reserve, from goodness, uprightness and kindness, to brutality and baseness. ”

The stream of time sweeps away errors, and leaves the truth for the inheritance of humanity. ”