The nearer emotional life approaches to hysteria, to continual outward show, the less genuine it becomes. Feeling becomes equated with vehemence of expression, so that insincerity becomes permanent.

Everybody uses mime and gesture in real life, though we don't realize it. It's very useful as a performance technique, though it can be boring to watch on its own.

I have a greater appreciation for kitchen appliances, having played one.

It is easy to be lenient at other people's expense, and call it generosity of mind.

Don't call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease.

Equality is the measure of all things, and bad behavior is less bad if everyone indulges in it.

Unilateral tolerance in a world of intolerance is like unilateral disarmament in a world of armed camps: it regards hope as a better basis for policy than reality.

I have never understood the liberal assumption that if there were justice in the world, there would be fewer rather than more prisoners.

We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life.

Two or three notes of music can instantly make you feel sad or tense or afraid or angry. To do that in words is much more difficult.

Where hopes are unrealistic, fears often become exaggerated; where dreams alone are blueprints, nightmares result.

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourslef or to gossip about others. Use your power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

No, I’m afraid your overconfidence, as with most young men who dream of becoming successful, can quite quickly become the Achilles’ heel of your continued mediocrity

I'd hate to feel in a comfort zone while I am working. That's not the way I like to do things. I want to be pressurized and challenged every day.

A Satin Doll is a woman who is as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside.

[On Ronald Reagan:] The President doesn't want yes-men around. When he says no, we all say no.

It's very important not to do what your peers think you should do, not do what your parents think,your teachers or even your culture. Do what's inside of you.

It occurred to me that no matter where I lived, geography could not save me.

God will give you strength when you think you can’t go on. He will give you joy when you should be discouraged. He can make a way when it looks impossible.

Laughter or crying is what a human being does when there's nothing else he can do.

I probably wanted to be a shopkeeper, because I like tills.