Books are precious things, but more than that, they are the strong backbone of civilization. They are the thread upon which it all hangs, and they can save us when all else is lost.

Knowledge is like money: To be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value.

Only one who has learned much can fully appreciate his ignorance.

Historical novels are, without question, the best way of teaching history, for they offer the human stories behind the events and leave the reader with a desire to know more.

The key to understanding any people is in its art: its writing, painting, sculpture.

Education is everywhere, prompting one to think, to consider, to remember.

A journey is time suspended.

Browsing through the shelves in bookstores or libraries, I was completely happy.

Personally, I do not believe the human mind has any limits but those we impose ourselves.

Our world is made up of a myriad of microcosms, of tiny worlds, each with its own habitues, every one known to the others.

Someone has said that culture is what remains with you after you have forgotten all you have read, and I believe there is much truth in that.

I am the kind of person who, if my feelings are unrequited, can completely detach from someone emotionally if I simply put my mind to it.

Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile I caught Hell for.

There's no half-assing anything you do if you want to do it well.

In my career, whether it's a big or a small movie, when I've worked on something for a long time, like [Ivan] Drago in Rocky IV, they start to take on a life of their own.

I don’t. I don’t want anybody else to touch you. I’m silly. I get furious if they touch you.

Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone else's life.

My wife has lived with at least five different men since we were wed - and each of the five has been me.

It's a pleasant thing to be young, and have ten toes.

The quality of our lives depends on the quality of our minds.

And, of all lies (be that one poet's boast) / The lie that flatters I abhor the most.