he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.

Shall we never never get rid of this Past? ... It lies upon the Present like a giant's dead body.

As a general rule, Providence seldom vouchsafes to mortals any more than just that degree of encouragement which suffices to keep them at a reasonably full exertion of their powers.

Strength is incomprehensible by weakness, and, therefore, the more terrible.

What is called poetic insight is the gift of discerning, in this sphere of strangely-mingled elements, the beauty and the majesty which are compelled to assume a garb so sordid.

Angels do not toil, but let their good works grow out of them.

When he is cheerful--when the sun shines into his mind--then I venture to peep in, just as far as the light reaches, but no further. It is holy ground where the shadow falls!

... for when a man's spirit has been thoroughly crushed, he may be peevish at small offenses, but never resentful of great ones.

Jim Crow, moreover, was seen executing his world-renowned dance, in gingerbread.

Might and wrong combined, like iron magnetized, are endowed with irresistible attraction.

It is very queer, but not the less true, that people are generally quite as vain, or even more so, of their deficiencies than of their available gifts.

Simple and plain things can touch your heart very easily! If you can be simple and plain, you can touch every heart!

He pulled something out of his pocket and tried to stick it in her arm. A needle. He'd offered her hope, but then he was trying to hurt her. Poison. She pushed him away. "That wasn't nice.

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.

I'm always gonna be in opposition no matter what, but I can still cover my bases and do what I like.

I had a career that was very short, but it had a lot of thrills.

In literature the ambition of the novice is to acquire the literary language; the struggle of the adept is to get rid of it.

Long visits don't make for good friends.

Kids learn more from example than from anything you say; I'm convinced they learn very early not to hear anything you say, but to watch what you do.

There's a certain edge about cruelty. If you're honest about it, most people wince, but say it had to be said.

In real life, people in the most dire situations must cope through humor.