Jordan

“Poor and content is rich, and rich enough;
But riches fineless is as poor as winter
To him that ever fears he shall be poor;–
Good heaven, the souls of all my tribe defend
From jealousy!”
― William Shakespeare, Othello

“Le succès est peu de choses, auprès d'une conscience en repos.”
― Vercors

“Noi fummo i Gattopardi, i Leoni; quelli che ci sostituiranno saranno gli sciacalletti, le iene; e tutti quanti gattopardi, sciacalli e pecore, continueremo a crederci il sale della terra."

("We were the Leopards, the Lions; those who'll take our place will be little jackals, hyenas; and the whole lot of us, Leopards, jackals, and sheep, we'll all go on thinking ourselves the salt of the earth.")”
― Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Leopard

“Which is better a cheap happiness or lofty suffering? Tell me then, which is better?”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground & The Double