By associating with good and evil persons a man acquires the virtues and vices which they possess even as the wind blowing over different places takes along good and bad odors.

A great man does not lose his self-possession when he is afflicted the ocean is not made muddy by the falling in of its banks.

One should seek for the salutary in the unpleasant: if it is there it is after all nectar. One should seek for the deceitful in the pleasant: if it is there it is after all poison.

All fortune belongs to him who has a contented mind.

If a man be self-controlled truthful wise and resolute is there aught that can stay out of reach of such a man?

A wise man to accomplish his end may even carry his foe on his shoulder.

If you really want peace in any world you have to learn to say nothing.

If you don’t laugh reading this book I’ll eat my pocket protector. Wait, did I just admit I had a pocket protector?

From the very first, I knew that it would be so...I smiled to myself, and said, "That -- and none other.

You know, be able to do something great in your life, you're gonna have to realize your failures. You're gonna have to embrace them and figure out how to overcome it.

As long as we fail to face up to the past and deal with it accordingly, the future will smack of corruption.

Theme-park approach to nature. We judge plants and animals by whether they're entertaining to us. We gravitate toward animals and plants that are big, dramatic, beautiful and at eye-level.

I always had this non-stop drive. I had to keep sending stories out and every once in awhile I'd get something accepted or get the little trickle of positive feedback.

Grant people a lifetime of forgiveness before you even meet them.

I believe that the problem of global climate change will ultimately spur our global society to respond and while the condition does not appear to be reversible, we will find ways to adapt to it.

We must pursue the removal of church property by any means necessary in order to secure for ourselves a fund of several hundred million gold rubles.