A consciousness of misfortunes arising from a man's own misconduct aggravates their bitterness.

It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.

United we stand, divided we fall.

Every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both, before we commit ourselves to either.

Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.

There's smoke in my iris, but I painted a sunny day on the insides of my eyelids

A doubtful friend is worse than a certain enemy. Let a man be one thing or the other, and we then know how to meet him.

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

The little reed, bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over.

It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow.

All writers are to some extent inventors, describing people as they would like to see them in life.

Easter says to us that despite everything to the contrary, his will for us will prevail, love will prevail over hate, justice over injustice and oppression, peace over exploitation and bitterness.

My career was obviously cut shorter than I wanted it to be.

And yes, again, that was it exactly. A retyper and not a writer. A prodigy and not a genius.

Leave every place you go, everything you touch, a little better for your having been there.

No one can make me cry Make me laugh Make me smile Or drive me mad like she does

You must make your own blunders, must cheerfully accept your own mistakes as part of the scheme of things.

I told my agents that I love Holly Hunter and Frances McDormand and all of these women who are good at doing comedies, as well as dramas.

I didn't do a masters in creative writing until I was 26, which is quite old, and then I found myself in New York and I needed money, so I started working full time as an editor.

Whoa, boy, he told himself. Golden Rule for Demigods: Thou shalt not Hokey Pokey with psychos.