Every bit of learning is a little death. Every bit of new information challenges a previous conception, forcing it to dissolve into chaos before it can be reborn as something better. Sometimes such deaths virtually destroy us.

To force upon the fellow man truth which he cannot live, means stirring up emotions impossible for him to carry; it means endangering his existence; it means kicking off balance a well-set, even if disastrous, way of live.

Never appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes from disenchantment.

The most detested person in the world is the one who always tells the truth, who never romances.

While if may well be true, as Franz Boas said, that "all that man can do for humanity is to further the truth, whether it be sweet or bitter," delivering that truth artfully is a delicate matter. When truth is likely to draw open the veils that keep out painful information, the dangers can be great.