There is no muse of philosophy, nor is there one of translation.

Like ultraviolet rays memory shows to each man in the book of life a script that invisibly and prophetically glosses the text.

The more circumspectly you delay writing down an idea, the more maturely developed it will be on surrendering itself.

Of all the ways of acquiring books, writing them oneself is regarded as the most praiseworthy method.

To be happy is to be able to become aware of oneself without fright.

Work on good prose has three steps: a musical stage when it is composed, an architectonic one when it is built, and a textile one when it is woven.

The only way of knowing a person is to love them without hope.

Quotations in my work are like wayside robbers who leap out armed and relieve the stroller of his conviction.

There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism.

The concept of progress must be grounded in the idea of catastrophe. That things are 'status quo' is the catastrophe

All human knowledge takes the form of interpretation.

I know 'Hallelujah' isn't actually a Christmas song, but it has that cozy, haunting vibe that sounds like a winter's night and belongs by a fire.

Having a personal philosophy is like having a pet marmoset, because it may be very attractive when you acquire it, but there may be situations when it will not come in handy at all.

We live in a church culture that has a dangerous tendency to disconnect the grace of God from the glory of God.

Habits begin as offhanded remarks, ideas and images. And then, layer upon layer, through practice, they grow from cobwebs into cables that shackle or strengthen our lives.

The mere smell of cooking can evoke a whole civilization.

Doubt may be a poor encouragement to do anything, but it is a bad reason for doing nothing.

You should be writing for the love of the story, and when it comes time to return to the manuscript, everything else belongs behind a closed door.

I don't watch television because I have a tiny baby daughter. I'm useless.

Crisis can be an addiction as powerful as any other.

Once a man sees what is possible, and makes just a few changes, a whole new world opens up where he finds opportunities that he couldn’t see before.