Our world is made up of a myriad of microcosms, of tiny worlds, each with its own habitues, every one known to the others.

Knowledge is like money: To be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value.

Only one who has learned much can fully appreciate his ignorance.

Historical novels are, without question, the best way of teaching history, for they offer the human stories behind the events and leave the reader with a desire to know more.

The key to understanding any people is in its art: its writing, painting, sculpture.

Education is everywhere, prompting one to think, to consider, to remember.

A journey is time suspended.

Books are precious things, but more than that, they are the strong backbone of civilization. They are the thread upon which it all hangs, and they can save us when all else is lost.

Browsing through the shelves in bookstores or libraries, I was completely happy.

Personally, I do not believe the human mind has any limits but those we impose ourselves.

Someone has said that culture is what remains with you after you have forgotten all you have read, and I believe there is much truth in that.

We burn out not because we don't care but because we don't grieve. We burn out because we have allowed our hearts to become so filled with loss that we have no room left to care.

When we find her, I'm still going to fight for her.-Emil-

The rice bowl is to me the most valid reason in the world for doing anything. A piece of one's soul to the multitudes in return for rice and wine does not seem to me a sacrilege.

Walt Whitman's a hell of a lot more revolutionary than any Russian poet I've ever heard of.

Being Irish was a big thing for me, particularly growing up in Chicago.

I had a job as a paralegal. I drove a cab.

Forgive for your sake, if not for theirs. Those who can forgive live healthier, happier, and less stressful lives.

I worked at a hospital for a week. And at a golf course when I was in college at Kansas for about a week. The tips weren't good so I quit.

The soul has been given its own ears to hear things mind does not understand.

Don't let fear decide your future.