The purpose of life is to believe, to hope, and to strive.

My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.

Opportunities are not offered. They must be wrested and worked for. And this calls for perseverance... and courage.

Every new experience brings its own maturity and a greater clarity of vision.

To be liberated, woman must feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man but in the context of her own capacity and her personality.

People tend to forget their duties but remember their rights.

Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.

I don't mind if my life goes in the service of the nation. If I die, every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation.

Women sometimes go too far, it's true. But it's only when you go too far that others listen.

To become capable, one must have faith in oneself.

Whenever you take a step forward, you are bound to disturb something.

You know what it's like to *lose* yourself in a story. We have brother and sister *souls*.

Write what you want to write and would like to read, not for any invisible audience. Your readers will find you.

The people need a strong leader. They feel insecure if they don’t know who to fear. Isn’t that why god was invented?

The first language that I learned was Italian in Italy in the early and middle-'60s and I had to do that to keep up with the young men who were courting my wife.

Sometimes a little compromise isn't a bad thing. You don't need to be precious about it.

Children sweeten labours, but they make misfortunes more bitter.

An art form requires genius. People of genius are always troublemakers, meaning they start from scratch, demolish accepted norms, and rebuild a new world.

Any human being should have a tolerance for anybody.

I believe in mystery and multiplicity. To religious believers this may sound almost pagan. But I don't think so.

We have a training period; we have certain guidelines and structure. You can't hire talented people and stifle them. That's not the way it works anymore.