Let a prince be guarded with soldiers, attended by councillors, and shut up in forts; yet if his thoughts disturb him, he is miserable.

I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better.

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.

An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.

When Demosthenes was asked what was the first part of Oratory, he answered, "Action," and which was the second, he replied, "action," and which was the third, he still answered "Action.

Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.

The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits.

Barba non facit philosophum

To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future.

Time is the wisest of all counselors.

No beast is more savage than man when possessed with power answerable to his rage.

If Aphrodite chills at home in Cyprus for most of the year, then Fez must be the goddess’s playground.

I used to think it was possible for an artist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory.

You will be surprised how much punishment the human body can take, if there is enough will - or faith.

The really good music, whether of the East or of the West, cannot be analyzed.

The dynamic, creative present, however conditioned and restricted by the effects of prior presents, possesses genuine initiative.

Nothing is more important than reconnecting with your bliss. Nothing is as rich. Nothing is more real.

The best use of history is as an inoculation against radical expectations, and hence against embittering disappointments.

Whatever you've learned becomes truly useful to you only once it has become second nature.

Chimps act the way they feel unless they are afraid of reprisal if they do so. But that doesn't apply to humans.

The whole path of American music has been so much about the recognition of stylistic diversity, and the recognition of the importance of music which was from one of the vernacular traditions.