The way to avoid evil is not by maiming our passions, but by compelling them to yield their vigor to our moral nature.

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.

We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started.

The Church is not a gallery for the exhibition of eminent Christians, but a school for the education of imperfect ones.

Some men are like pyramids, which are very broad where they touch the ground, but grow narrow as they reach the sky.

As for marigolds, poppies, hollyhocks, and valorous sunflowers, we shall never have a garden without them, both for their own sake, and for the sake of old-fashioned folks, who used to love them.

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.

The thistle is a prince. Let any man that has an eye for beauty take a view of the whole plant, and where will he see a more expressive grace and symmetry; and where is there a more kingly flower?

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.

He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has.

Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.

It's okay to be nervous, scared, angry or sad sometimes so long as you don't let those emotions rule your entire life.

Successful commitment occurs when your stated intentions are stronger than your hidden intentions, or when you consciously reconcile the conflict.

It's been a rollercoaster ride. There have been some great moments and some low points... like when I was leaving Stax. That's when I actually thought of getting out of the business.

Adolescence is a new birth, for the higher and more completely human traits are now born.

Law has at least two roles: one is to define and regulate the limits of acceptable behavior. The other is to teach principles for individuals to make individual choices.

There are two things necessary to Salvation.... Money and gunpowder.

Even more important than the discovery of Columbus, which we are gathered together to celebrate, is the fact that the general government has just discovered women.

No one will ever be the servant of the Son without serving the Mother.

I'm 72-years-old. There's not a hell of a lot they can do to me. I will continue to report what I see and what I feel to be true.

The roots of the aged palm tree exceed those of the young one; the old have a greater attachment to the world.