Man, unlike the animals, has never learned that the sole purpose of life is to enjoy it.

Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.

Human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning.

If I die prematurely at any rate I shall be saved from being bored to death by my own success.

Life is like music; it must be composed by ear, feeling, and instinct, not by rule.

Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom, while discouragement often nips it in the bud.

Don't learn to do, but learn in doing.

Fear is static that prevents me from hearing myself.

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.

People care more about being thought to have taste than about being thought either good, clever or amiable.

Let us be grateful to the mirror for revealing to us our appearance only.

That’s what happens to friends, eventually. They leave you. It’s practically what they’re for.

She was tall and dark-skinned and looked like a Nigerian sculpture. She moved like a lioness, her every step bristling with suppressed violence.

Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgement, the manner in which information is coordinated and used.

It seems to be almost a law of physics, that the winds of change awaken fear and fundamentalism.

When I see old photos of me on the beach I don't look too bad... but it's hard trying to breathe in for such a long time when I spot the photographers!

You need not fear the greatness or number of your sins.

I don't think that (U.S. President) George Bush...is a man of honor.

When someone starts talking to me about the truth, what I hear is what they're telling me about themselves.

Modesty and diffidence make a man unfit for public affairs; they also make him unfit for brothels.

The way to entice people into cooking is to cook delicious things.