The less we deserve good fortune, the more we hope for it.

It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.

One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.

The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity.

In war there is no prize for runner-up.

It is another's fault if he be ungrateful, but it is mine if I do not give. To find one thankful man, I will oblige a great many that are not so.

The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity.

He who is brave is free.

No one can be happy who has been thrust outside the pale of truth. And there are two ways that one can be removed from this realm: by lying, or by being lied to.

The wish for healing has always been half of health.

Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.

Prayer holds together the shattered fragments of creation. It makes history possible.

Imagine how many suicide victims would still be with us, if only the right person said the right thing at the right time.

What is beauty? Is it the way her body's shaped, or the way she's dressed? But if the whole world was blind, how many people would you impress?

I can't seem to write young enough anymore.

You can do more, you can always do more.

The more time you put into practicing, then, the greater the payoff.

Vermont is a small state which makes an enormous difference.

I was the walrus, but now I am John. And so my friends, you'll just have to carry on. The dream is over.

Random violence is incredibly infectious

As a prose writer, I work with language; and those who work with language turn to poetry for renewal.