People in general are equally horrified at hearing the Christian religion doubted, and at seeing it practiced.

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.

Life was still sprouting in him—over the sharp rocks and right on the nose of a cliff, he was yet far from death.

... tree has had a stroke, and its top dies. A redwood can deal with a stroke. It simply grows a new top in a few centuries.

To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June.

I adore the past. So much more restful than the present. So much more dependable than the future.

The most enthusiastic man in a cause is rarely chosen as the leader.

It's always a pleasure to talk about someone else's work.

I want to have a bunch of kids so I can boss them around.

Even though I couldn't speak English, there were many times that my black-American parents could read my mind and I could read theirs.

Out of the formless the forms appear.

The couture client wants the latest things, but she wants the clothes to be super-special - the fabrics won't even touch or go near anything like prêt-à-porter.