Avarice, the spur of industry.

There is no such thing as freedom of choice unless there is freedom to refuse.

Nothing is more surprising than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few.

Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.

A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.

When men are most sure and arrogant they are commonly most mistaken, giving views to passion without that proper deliberation which alone can secure them from the grossest absurdities.

The life of man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster.

Be a philosopher but, amid all your philosophy be still a man.

A propensity to hope and joy is real riches; one to fear and sorrow real poverty.

All knowledge degenerates into probability.

It is an absurdity to believe that the Deity has human passions, and one of the lowest of human passions, a restless appetite for applause

Politics nowadays is a game unlike every other game, only for the willing hearts and strong minds

The emotions of man are stirred more quickly than man’s intelligence.

If misery were water, he thinks as he climbs into his car and turns the key, I could just drown or let it wash me away entirely.

Michelin Star? I’d rather chew a French rubber tyre.

Pies mean Thanksgiving and Christmas and picnics.

Each man delights in the work that suits him best.

Libraries really are the gates to the future.

Writers feel like a middleman, standing with pen in hand over the page. A force greater than me stands above telling me what to write. That may sound romantic, but that's how it feels.

The most-honored ancestors of your matriarch besmirched the season of the orange blossom.

I try to be accommodating, but I'm pretty much a loner.