The idea that an author can extricate her or his own ongoing life experience from the tale being written is a conceit of very little worth.

The heart of wisdom is tolerance.

Ambition is not a dirty word. Piss on compromise. Go for the throat.

You must dismantle your sources, lest you do nothing but ape the prejudices of others

And over it all, the butterflies swarmed, like a million yellow-pettalled flowers dancing on swirling winds.

Children are dying." Lull nodded. "That's a succinct summary of humankind, I'd say. Who needs tomes and volumes of history? Children are dying. The injustices of the world hide in those three words.

Your brain works with all the subtlety of a malicious child.

And in the city on all sides, the howling of the Hounds rose in an ear-shattering, soul-flailing crescendo. The Lord of Death had arrived, to walk the streets in the City of Blue Fire.

For we are all bound in stories, and as the years pile up they turn to stone, layer upon layer, building our lives.

No purer artist exists or has ever existed than a child freed to imagine.

You are very easily exasperated, my dear. If you're a leaf trembling on a wide, deep river, relax and ride the current. It's always worked for me, I assure you.

I’ll affect you slowlyas if you were having a picnic in a dream. There will be no ants.It won’t rain.

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile - hoping it will eat him last.

I am deeply concerned with the diminution of the teaching strength of the country as a result of the disproportionately low salaries that are paid to teachers throughout the country.

Every now and then we're going to fail.

Optimism is evidence-based.

Derision is never so agonizing as when it pounces on the wanderings of misguided sensibility.

Concentrated attention is the collection of units of power on a chosen point of intention.

It is better to be a lender than a spender.

As far as you can, do some manual work so as to be able to give alms, for it is written that alms and faith purify from sin.

The U.S. and Iraq will work together next year to shift Iraqi resources from unproductive subsidies to productive uses that enable Iraqis to earn livelihoods.