“I cried with such sobbing as I had once done as a child, for that letter made me a child again.”

Original: Płakałem z takiem łkaniem jak dawniej, kiedy byłem dzieckiem, bo też list ten nanowo dzieckiem mię zrobił. — Memory and correspondence collapse the distance between the adult exile and the child he once was. · Letter to his mother, 1830s (Polish)

• Childhood
• Grief
• Memory

“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

“The project, conceived long ago and several times rejected as too frightening an undertaking, has finally come to pass.”

Original: Projekt ten, od dawna zrobiony i kilka razy odrzucony ode mnie jako nadto straszne przedsięwzięcie, przyszedł na koniec do skutku. — A characteristic mixture of apprehension and determination before his journey east. · Letter to his mother, 24 August 1836 (Polish)

• Action
• Adventure
• Courage