There is a temperate zone in the mind, between luxurious indolence and exacting work; and it is to this region, just between laziness and labor, that summer reading belongs.

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.

We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started.

The Church is not a gallery for the exhibition of eminent Christians, but a school for the education of imperfect ones.

Some men are like pyramids, which are very broad where they touch the ground, but grow narrow as they reach the sky.

As for marigolds, poppies, hollyhocks, and valorous sunflowers, we shall never have a garden without them, both for their own sake, and for the sake of old-fashioned folks, who used to love them.

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.

The thistle is a prince. Let any man that has an eye for beauty take a view of the whole plant, and where will he see a more expressive grace and symmetry; and where is there a more kingly flower?

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.

He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has.

Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.

Grief, no matter how you try to cater to its wail, has a way of fading away.

I feel lucky for my upbringing and tremendous adversity, which made me so successful, now I like to devote my life to improve lives of others, who are facing adversity every day.

Know your magic, trust your magic, use your magic and know that you are a manifestation of life's magic.

Better to be blinded by love than hate

Try to have a more expanded sense of that which you are. Feel that you are eternity. There's only goodness. There's only light.

What is it we are hating? It goes beyond politics. I suppose that my fascination with [Margaret Thatcher] is not just with her political record but with her as a phenomenon.

Books are not like albums, where you can simply download and enjoy your favorite chapter and ignore the rest.

Consistency isn't behaving the same way all the time.

No one should ever feel sorry for me. Ive been treated very well for the most part.

I am passionate about football. My support for Celtic FC has got me through some hard times in my life. I still play regularly, too.