There is no beauty like that which was spoiled by an accident; no accomplishments and graces are so to be envied as those that circumstances rudely hindered the development of.

The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value

Goodness comes out of people who bask in the sun, as it does out of a sweet apple roasted before the fire.

Lettuce is like conversation; it must be fresh and crisp, so sparkling that you scarcely notice the bitter in it.

It is fortunate that each generation does not comprehend its own ignorance. We are thus enabled to call our ancestors barbarous.

There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.

To own a bit of ground, to scratch it with a hoe, to plant seeds, and watch the renewal of life - this is the commonest delight of the race, the most satisfactory thing a man can do.

Mud-pies gratify one of our first and best instincts. So long as we are dirty, we are pure.

A cynic might suggest as the motto of modern life this simple legend-"just as good as the real.

Perhaps nobody ever accomplishes all that he feels lies in him to do; but nearly every one who tries his power touches the walls of his being.

Nature is, in fact, a suggester of uneasiness, a promoter of pilgrimages and of excursions of the fancy which never come to any satisfactory haven.

All of us suffer in life, but the ones who bring the suffering find the greatest pain. The wounds we inflict upon others are the most painful for us.

The universe does not reveal itself to undergraduates or fools: This is the entire premise of higher education.

To get others to come into our ways of thinking we must go over to theirs and it is necessary to follow in order to lead.

The ball gave me prestige, gave me fame, gave me riches. Thank you, my old friend.

If I ever loved a man better than I love my art, I should marry him and leave the stage. But I have never met such a man.

Pride only helps us to be generous; it never makes us so, any more than vanity makes us witty.

I've got my mind set on you. But it's gonna take money, a whole lot of spending money, it's gonna take plenty of money.

A poet over 30 is pathetic

I worry that we are approaching a time when that which is shocking is squeezed out by the Stalinism of political correctness.

Hey, Dad, you’ve got to taste what we just did. It’s actually good. (Omari) That is good. What did you two do? (Devyn) No idea. We just added spices until it didn’t suck anymore. (Omari)