From without no wonderful effect is wrought within ourselves unless some interior responding wonder meets it.

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.

Truly, Mallow yearned to know everything. Curiosity was part of her, like her short blond hair and bitten fingernails.

I'll walk where my own nature would be leading. It vexes me to choose another guide.

The secret of contentment is never to allow yourself to want anything which reason tells you you haven't a chance of getting.

Our experience is composed rather of illusions lost than of wisdom acquired.

But it's a journey and the sad thing is you only learn from experience, so as much as someone can tell you things, you have to go out there and make your own mistakes in order to learn.

Italians have a very closed life. Football is all their life is.

My major aim in writing is to set out flags and issue wake-up calls.

I've done a lot of bad TV and bad movies. I've also done some really great things.

If we live according to the law "an eye for an eye...," we will never escape from the spiral of evil.

An ounce of doing things is worth a pound of theorizing.