“I approach each person as though he were a brother, wishing to fill his heart, turn his reason into wisdom, awaken him and give him an impulse towards life's great purposes.”

Original: Do każdego zbliżam się niby do brata, z chęcią, aby mu serce zapełnić, rozum zamienić w mądrość, wskrzesić go niby i dać mu pęd ku wielkim celom żywota. — His ideal of human influence is intimate, generous and directed towards spiritual growth. · Letter to his mother, 15 October 1845 (Polish)

• Compassion
• Growth
• Wisdom

“I myself truly cannot explain why, with such sad eagerness, I throw myself into an unknown world full of dangers.”

Original: Ja sam prawdziwie nie mogę sobie wytłumaczyć, dlaczego z takim smutnym zapałem rzucam się w świat nieznajomy pełny niebezpieczeństw. — He captures the paradox of being drawn towards danger while fully conscious of its risks. · Letter to his mother, August 1836 (Polish)

• Adventure
• Courage
• Uncertainty

“Why should we be sad? Why should we doubt? I shall write about this sadness and doubt at length one day, sternly and fiercely.”

Original: Kwiatków ma pełno w domu, i dzieciątek mu Bóg nasyła — czegóż on się smuci? dla czego wątpi? O tym smutku i zwątpieniu będę długo kiedyś pisał srogo i groźnie. — He treats habitual melancholy and doubt as states to be resisted rather than passively accepted. · Letter to his mother, 1 January 1845 (Polish)

• Courage
• Doubt
• Hope