A gift that cannot be given away ceases to be a gift. The spirit of a gift is kept alive by its constant donation.

But neither money nor machines can create. They shuttle tokens of energy, but they do not transform. A civilization based on them puts people out of touch with their creative powers.

Irony has only emergency use. Carried over time it is the voice of the trapped who have come to enjoy their cage.

An essential portion of any artist's labor is not creation so much as invocation

When we are moved by art we are grateful that the artist lived, grateful that he labored in the service of his gifts.

We are only alive to the degree that we can let ourselves be moved.

We forgive when we give up attachment to our wounds.

I think of a myth as a story that helps you explain all the different pieces of your life. In that broad sense, there is no way to live without mythology.

True citizens are not the audience of their government, nor its consumers; they are its makers.

The gift finds the man attractive who stands with an empty bowl he does not own.

Uncovering secrets is apocalyptic in the simple sense (the Greek root means ‘an uncovering’). In this case, it lifts the shame covers. It allows articulation to enter where silence once ruled.

If you want to change someone, start and end with yourself. You're all you've got control over.yes, other people can change.no, you can’t change other people.

It's odd how fast a beautiful woman can turn a guy's mind into lint storage. Just by being a beautiful woman.

Sometimes the 'day' you're dreaming for never comes. Take control of your future and start now.

If women are not accorded equal place in the leadership of the Catholic Church and the other great world religions, they will always be treated as inferiors in earthly matters as well.

Envy is a surefire party killer.

How great love is, presence best trial makes, But absence tries how long this love will be.

I don't have to agree with everything you say, but I should attempt at least to understand it, for the opposite of mutual understanding is, quite simply, war.

I remember watching Looney Tunes cartoons and having the music stuck in my head.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.

When you see them be successful, however small, you say to yourself, wow. And everything becomes possible. Never denigrate, to say we will not succeed.