Every man is his own ancestor, and every man is his own heir. He devises his own future, and he inherits his own past.

Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or Shakespeare.

Words can hurt, but words can also inspire.

I cannot do everything but still I can do something and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do something that I can do.

The important thing is to never stop questioning. Never lose a holy curiosity.

If we are a free country, we have the right to be free.

Certainly I think the election of John Kennedy and all he stood for was one that really was an inspiration.

He who befriends a man whose conduct is vicious, whose vision impure, and who is notoriously crooked, is rapidly ruined.

Years ago, as I was beginning my professional career on Wall Street, I volunteered as a Big Brother in New York City.

I‘ve said it once and I will say it again, why can‘t everyone just speak English? The Americans give it a bit of a go — why can‘t other nations?

You should put time into learning your craft. It seems like people want success so quickly, way before they're ready.

When I was in graduate school, my thesis included both poetry and essays. Influenced by the personal essays of James Baldwin and Norman Mailer, I loved the form, but pretty much stopped.