Joy is at its keenest when contrasted with sorrow, courage at its height when it follows fear, faith at its noblest when it grows from doubt.

All the higher forms of life have evolved from some one's ideal of justice, liberty or beauty; and the belief that nothing is too good to be true.

It ain't no use putting up your umbrella till it rains.

Solitude, if rightly used, becomes not only a privilege but a necessity. Only a superficial soul fears to fraternize with itself.

It is not what we have but what we do with what we have that constitutes the value of life.

What can people not accomplish if they will but master the secret of steadfast perseverance.

there ain't no use in dyin' 'fore yer time. Lots of folks is walkin' 'round jes' as dead as they'll ever be.

The fascinating thing about ideals is that no sooner have we gained a desired peak than we find farther and higher peaks beyond. The thrilling adventure never ends.

Half of our sorrows come from setting exalted standards for people and then breaking our hearts when they fail to live up to them.

When one has a famishing thirst for happiness, one is apt to gulp down diversions wherever they are offered.

Mrs. Wiggs was a philosopher, and the sum and substance of her philosophy lay in keeping the dust off her rose-colored spectacles.

Undecided thoughts’ is called the mind. ‘Decided thoughts’ is called the intellect.

This, then, is true liberty: the joy that comes in doing what is right. At the same time, it is also devoted service in obedience to righteous precept.

At bank, post office or supermarket, there is one universal law which you ignore at your own peril: the shortest line moves the slowest.

I always thought that if I got no love at all early in my standup career, or I was god awful, I thought I'd get into psychology.

We're sharing things in our lives everyday that we wouldn't have picked up the phone to talk about ten years ago.

There's something about the authenticity rather than the autobiography that makes my story and my pain move across and become your story and your pain.

There's a difference between the blues of the New Orleans guys and anyone else and the difference is in a chord, but I can't figure the name of it. It's a different chord, and they all make it.

Hopefully I'm bringing to rock n' roll the kind of spontaneity that I love, and always believed rock and roll stands for.

One thing only has been lent to youth and age in common--discontent.

I will build you a castle with a tower so high it reaches the moon.