Self-love is a principle of action; but among no class of human beings has nature so profusely distributed this principle of life and action as through the whole sensitive family of genius.

The most noble criticism is that in which the critic is not the antagonist so much as the rival of the author.

A circle may be small, yet it may be as mathematically beautiful and perfect as a large one.

The ancients, who in these matters were not perhaps such blockheads as some may conceive, considered poetical quotation as one of the requisite ornaments of oratory.

One may quote till one compiles.

The delights of reading impart the vivacity of youth even to old age.

There is an art of reading, as well as an art of thinking, and an art of writing.

Fortune has rarely condescended to be the companion of genius.

The delight of opening a new pursuit, or a new course of reading, imparts the vivacity and novelty of youth even to old age.

Those who do not read criticism will rarely merit to be criticised.

Beware of the man of one book. [Lat., Home unius libri, or, cave ab homine unius libri.]

I'm not here for the money

Beauty is boring because it is predictable.

He who plots to hurt others often hurts himself.

There's four sides to every story... If these walls could talk, they'd probably still ignore me.

And people is the most important part of my job. I spend one third of my time on people.

Champagne! In victory, one deserves it; in defeat one needs it.

We Americans, we're a simple people . . . but piss us off, and we'll bomb your cities.

There were so many candidates on the platform that there were not enough promises to go around.

Ignorance and bigotry, like other insanities, are incapable of self-government.

I've always been just as interested in making people think as I am in making them feel, and one of the things this scientific process allows me to do is make the audience look differently at dance.