There is no such thing as white lies; a lie is as black as a coalpit, and twice as foul.

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.

There are books showing men how to succeed in everything they are written by men who cannot even succeed in writing books.

the shadows may come and engulf your world, but if you look hard enough you'll always see that spark in the abyss leading you back to the light and the next adventure waiting to be had

Cultural contamination that is directed outward is always seen as ‘enlightenment.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want a woman who is better than I am

There's a very go-to kind of attitude in New Zealand that stems from that psyche of being quite isolated and not being able to rely on the rest of the world's infrastructure.

I'm a painter, really. To be successful, you have to go to Hollywood, and I didn't like to travel.

Worrying seems like a fairly natural state of being for a parent, so feel free to worry as much as you want.

There's a victory and defeat-the first and best of victories, the lowest and worst of defeats-which each man gains or sustains at the hands not of another, but of himself.

Avoid the trap of looking back unless it is to glorify God for what He has done.

Be aware of your infinite connection to your source. Know that you're more than an encapsulated collection of bones, blood and organs in a skin and hair covered body.