The contemporary historian never writes such a true history as the historian of a later generation.

A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.

An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets the more interested he is in her.

I don't think necessity is the mother of invention. Invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness - to save oneself trouble.

It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story.

Very few of us are what we seem.

Dogs are wise. They crawl away into a quiet corner and lick their wounds and do not rejoin the world until they are whole once more.

Nobody knows what another person is thinking. They may imagine they do, but they are nearly always wrong.

Fear is incomplete knowledge.

Books are a habit-forming drug.

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.

You need time, perseverance, and patience to develop the character and abilities required for success.

The trouble is that things never get better, they just stay the same, only more so.

It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular

I underestimated your laziness.” “It’s pronounced intelligence, Kirk.

All the so-called “secrets of success” will not work unless you do.

Panic does not help, even if you are unable to answer. Try to ask questions to the interviewers as well and it should be impressive enough.

Fertile soil, level plains, easy passage across the mountains, coal, iron, and other metals imbedded in the rocks, and a stimulating climate, all shower their blessings upon man.

One day, the idea that God loved me dropped from my head into my heart.

Love is the root of all joy and sorrow.

The preface is the most important part of a book. Even reviewers read a preface.