All we discover has been with us since the sun began to roll; and much we discover, is not worth the discovering.

It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.

A smile is the chosen vehicle of all ambiguities.

I am, as I am; whether hideous, or handsome, depends upon who is made judge.

Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed.

Dream tonight of peacock tails, Diamond fields and spouter whales. Ills are many, blessing few, But dreams tonight will shelter you.

Toil is man's allotment; toil of brain, or toil of hands, or a grief that's more than either, the grief and sin of idleness.

Meditation and water are wedded for ever.

I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts.

Aye, aye! and I'll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition's flames before I give him up.

War should be carried on like a monsoon; one changeless determination of every particle towards the one unalterable aim.

I didn't feel very lucky. Why me, I kept asking myself. Why had this happened to me?

I wanted to tell her not to entertain despair like this. Despair wasn't a guest, you didn't play its favourite music, find it a comfortable chair. Despair was the enemy.

Better to have one woman on your side than ten men.

Egotism: the art of seeing in yourself what others cannot see.

Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.

Friends are much better tried in bad fortune than in good.

The nights I don't sleep it's because there's a higher calling telling me to stand guard.

Despite how difficult and hopeless it was at times, my experiences have shaped me for the better in many ways. It ultimately taught me empathy and invaluable lessons only learned through adversity.

The black person is the protagonist in most of my paintings. I realized that I didn't see many paintings with black people in them.

On ne na|"t pas femme: on le devient. One is not born a woman: one becomes a woman.