I have a room whereinto no one enters Save I myself alone: There sits a blessed memory on a throne, There my life centres.

In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, Snow on snow, Snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, Long ago.

Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun.

Hurt no living thing: Ladybird, nor butterfly, Nor moth with dusty wing.

Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love Divine; Love was born at Christmas; Star and angels gave the sign.

Be the green grass above me, with showers and dewdrops wet; and if thou wilt, remember, and if thou wilt, forget.

We must not look at goblin men, We must not buy their fruits: Who knows upon what soil they fed Their hungry thirsty roots?

My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water'd shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree Whose boughs are bent with thick-set fruit.

Choose love not in the shallows but in the deep.

What is the beginning? Love. What is the course. Love still. What the goal. The goal is love.

Silence is more musical than any song.

It must be tempered with discipline. Ferocity is useless unless employed in the proper place . . .

Ambition is not a dirty word. Piss on compromise. Go for the throat.

Wealth, beauty, and fame are transient. When those are gone, little is left except the need to be useful.

What does 'happy' mean? Happiness is not a state like Vermont.

In philosophy if you aren't moving at a snail's pace you aren't moving at all.

If you're not enjoying your work, you should either change your attitude, or change your job.

The secret is to try and do 75% of the things you're really passionate about and maybe 25% doing the shitty jobs that have to be done.

I'm not a great piano player.

An atheist may be simply one whose faith and love are concentrated on the impersonal aspects of God.

As an actor, Sean [Penn] is brilliant. And he's really an excellent director, as well. We got along really well.