"I have always taken the greatest pleasure in seeking out and acquiring knowledge."

"It is not enough to possess a good mind; one must make good use of it."

"I desire to live in such a way that I can spend the rest of my life without having committed any fault."

"I entirely abandoned the study of letters, resolving to seek no other science than that which could be found in myself, or at least in the great book of the world."

"I know that I exist, but I do not know what I am."