The modest man has everything to gain, and the arrogant man everything to lose; for modesty has always to deal with generosity, and arrogance with envy.

The most civilized people are as near to barbarism as the most polished steel is to rust. Nations, like metals, have only a superficial brilliancy.

Man spends his life in reasoning on the past, in complaining of the present, in fearing future.

It is the dim haze of mystery that adds enchantment to pursuit.

Of every ten persons who talk about you, nine will say something bad, and the tenth will say something good in a bad way.

The absolute ruler may be a Nero, but he is sometimes a Titus or Marc Aurelius; the people is often Nero, but never Marc Aurelius.

To lose one's self in reverie, one must be either very happy, or very unhappy. Reverie is the child of extremes.

Gold like the sun, which melts wax, but hardens clay, expands great souls.

The only thing wealth does for some people is to make them worry about losing it.

Opinions, theories, and systems pass by turns over the grindstone of time, which at first gives them brilliancy and sharpness, but finally wears them out.

Ideas are a capital that bears interest only in the hands of talent.

The language of poetry is a language of deep intimacy that is meant to touch the human spirit and awaken it to the mystery of life, all life.

Since a politician never believes what he says he is surprised when others believe him.

The goal of Buddhism is to create Buddhas, not Buddhists, as the goal of Christianity is to create Christs, not Christians.

I'm not an academic, but I'm someone who has a great passion for science and wants to convey the idea that science is for everyone.

I think the best comparable is Bryant Gumbel's "Real Sports," in the sense that it's quarterly as well. So that's what we're doing, a quarterly special, an hour, three to four stories each hour.

Step 1, you find a girl to love. Step 2, she falls in love with you. Step 3, you kiss and hold her tightly.

I gave him a smile. I was aiming for sweet, but he turned a shade paler and scooted a bit farther from me. Note to self: work more on sweet and less on psycho-killer.

The waves do keep coming, so learn to surf.

Even in political considerations, now-a-days, you have stronger motives to feel interested in the fate of Europe than in the fate of the Central or Southern parts of America.

To say the Constitution is living is to say that it's dead.