Life has a higher end, than to be amused.

Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.

The world is governed by opinion.

Fix your eyes on perfection and you make almost everything speed towards it.

We smile at the ignorance of the savage who cuts down the tree in order to reach its fruit; but the same blunder is made by every person who is over eager and impatient in the pursuit of pleasure.

Every human being is intended to have a character of his own; to be what no others are, and to do what no other can do.

May your life preach more loudly than your lips.

Every mind was made for growth, for knowledge, and its nature is sinned against when it is doomed to ignorance.

Nothing which has entered into our experience is ever lost.

All virtue lies in individual action, in inward energy, in self determination. There is no moral worth in being swept away by a crowd even toward the best objective.

It is not the quantity but the quality of knowledge which determines the mind's dignity.

Everyone's allowed to be in love with the wrong person at some point. In fact, it's a mistake not to be.

Black literature is taught as sociology, as tolerance, not as a serious, rigorous art form.

It’s true that no one ever said life would be easy, but it’s also true that no ever said you had to do it alone.

We considered behaving, but it's against our nature.

Great Hypocrites are the real atheists.

I learned very early in my life never to take counsel in my fears.

New York is all about people and the things people make.

Seeing Syria remove Assad is a very high priority for America.

Everybody always thinks the grass is always greener.

Most works of art are, necessarily, bad...; one suffers through the many for the few.