In the midst of vice we are in virtue, and vice versa.

Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.

Human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning.

If I die prematurely at any rate I shall be saved from being bored to death by my own success.

Life is like music; it must be composed by ear, feeling, and instinct, not by rule.

Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom, while discouragement often nips it in the bud.

Don't learn to do, but learn in doing.

Fear is static that prevents me from hearing myself.

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.

People care more about being thought to have taste than about being thought either good, clever or amiable.

Let us be grateful to the mirror for revealing to us our appearance only.

Fear is the single strongest motivating force in our lives. ... The more frightened you become the better your chances of achieving success.

There has been a failure to grasp how competing narratives fight for the attention of angry young Muslims, and we have grossly underestimated the appeal of the jihadist brand.

Well, guys are better at mechanical stuff and women are better at emotional stuff.

A good restaurant just makes me giddy. I can go all day with anticipation just knowing where I'm going to eat. Sometimes it's well planned, sometimes it's spontaneous. Either way works.

What you were yesterday is fixed for always, making its mark on what you are today, what you will be tomorrow.

Am I trying to do good or to make myself look good?

It's in great joy that we grasp truth.

In the midst of conflict, there is absolutely nothing that produces gains as dramatically as listening.

The perfect man sees nothing but God.

I'd gotten away from my Buddhism. And I quit meditating.