The talent of insinuation is more useful than that of persuasion, as everybody is open to insinuation, but scarce any to persuasion.

As fathers commonly go, it is seldom a misfortune to be fatherless; and considering the general run of sons, as seldom a misfortune to be childless.

The mere brute pleasure of reading - the sort of pleasure a cow must have in grazing.

If we do not plant knowledge when young, it will give us no shade when we are old.

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

Being pretty on the inside means you don't hit your brother and you eat all your peas - that's what my grandma taught me.

Modesty is the only sure bait when you angle for praise.

Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.

You must look into people, as well as at them.

A man's own good breeding is the best security against other people's ill manners.

Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

Ah, he has too many ideas, that man da Vinci. His mind works faster than his hands.

Did you notice there aren’t any average kids anymore—only Gifted and Disposable?

I'm always more comfortable and in a good place when I'm with friends because I know they trust me. I'm able to get great performances from people who trust me.

I don't want my dad to say, 'My daughter is an actress on a TV show.' I want him to say, 'My daughter cares about people.' I would love to know that I'm a role model in Hollywood.

One of the wonderful things about Internet is its like a salon. It brings people together from different intellectual walks of life.

... you simply can't imagine what men will say!

Passivity may be the easy course, but it is hardly the honorable one.

In a region with a growing population, if you're doing nothing, you're losing ground.

The governess was not much liked in the village. She was too tall, too fond of books, too grave, and, a curious thing, never smiled unless there was something to smile at.

Granddad was superstitious about books. He thought that if you had enough of them around, education leaked out, like radioactivity.