There are times when silence is the most sacred of responses.

We not only romanticize the future; we have also made it into a growth industry, a parlor game and a disaster movie all at the same time.

Mercy is a source of life because we breathe our own spirits through it into the lives of others.

The future is religion and commerce, aphrodisiac and Benzedrine, a mother of mysterious comfort and a mistress of familiar ravishments ever on the verge of embracing or destroying us.

The moment an individual can accept and forgive him or herself, even a little, is the moment in which he or she becomes to some degree lovable.

The real test of friendship is can you literally do nothing with the other person? Can you enjoy those moments of life that are utterly simple?

Can you enjoy those moments of life that are utterly simple.

Life does not hurt nearly as much if we have learned to listen to ourselves and to recognize how fully and richly we are trying to tell ourselves the truth.

Is childhood ever long enough, or a happy time, or even a beautiful summer day? All of these carry the seeds of the same fierce mystery that we call death.

The moment an individual can accept and forgive himself even a little is the moment in which he becomes to some degree lovable.

The real test of friendship is: can you literally do nothing with the other person? Can you enjoy those moments of life that are utterly simple?

You got to be careful of what comes and leave your mind and how often they do both. Whatever enters your mind has brought a new brand of you and whatever exits is going to manifest that brand.

Beyond all judgments of good and bad ...is perfection - Vivian Amis

What I can and cannot imagine is a psychological fact about me. It is not a deep metaphysical fact about the nature of the universe.

A monarchy is a merchantman which sails well but will sometimes strike on a rock and go to the bottom a republic is a raft which will never sink but then your feet are always in water.

They didn't really encourage my goofy, comedic side at Juilliard.

First be best, then be first.

He was inordinately proud of England and he abused her incessantly.

Structure is translation software for your imagination.

I like to bet on people, especially those who have taken risks and failed in some way, because they have more real-world experience. And they’re humble.

Its hard to show people everything, you know? You never know what they'll do with it once they have it.