Good painter imitates nature, bad ones spews it up.

Pray, look better, sir... those things yonder are no giants, but windmills.

Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn.

In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd.

He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he that loses his courage loses all.

How will he who does not know how to govern himself know how to govern others?

Three things too much, and three too little are pernicious to man; to speak much, and know little; to spend much, and have little; to presume much, and be worth little.

That one man scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To reach the unreachable star.

Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.

The wicked are always ungrateful.

Her father guarded her, and she guarded herself; for there are no padlocks, bolts, or bars, that secure a maiden better than her own reserve.

Pretend you are foolish to the foolish, and be yourself when you are alone or with others like you, because if you take the foolish seriously as your friend, you might be a fool yourself.

And so I just kept writing to myself.

Magic isn’t something that can be explained: it simply is. It takes while it gives. So” – the spinner steps closer, his outstretched hand demanding – “I have given you magic, and now it must be paid.

With the catching ends the pleasures of the chase.

Pride in one's own race - and that does not imply contempt for other races - is ... a normal and healthy sentiment.

How the hell are you supposed to know what God wants you to do with your life, eh?

You need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and not come away thinking, "Hey, there's something wrong with this mirror."

If a story isn't working, I'm simply unable to finish it. That's what usually tells me something is wrong.

I didn't realize the age thing until I got hired and everybody was telling me I was f - -ing old.

You can be a woman in charge of a production and still be generous and kind and insightful and decisive without being considered a butch in any way.