There was a danger in asking too much of a child, but the danger of asking too little was almost equal.

She had come to letters late in her life, and though she had mastered them, they had never become her good friends.

When has been disappointed for so long, hope becomes the enemy. One cannot be dashed to the earth unless one is lifted first, and I learned to avoid hope.

It was as if I had been following a narrow trail, and had suddenly realized that at any time I could leave it and strike out cross-country.

I will always take your part, Bee. Right or wrong. That is why you must always take care to be right, lest you make your father a fool.

As dye soaks fibres, drawn into them to change their colour forever, so does a memory, stinging or sweet, change the fibre of a man’s character.

I was lonely, and a lonely heart has hungers that can overpower both common sense and dignity.

...there was no point in sighing after what I could not have. It only distracted me from what I did have.

...once students have been taught that learning is tedious, difficult, and useless, they will never learn another lesson.

How often does a man know, without question, that he has done well? I do not think it happens often in anyone's life, and it becomes even rarer once one has a child.

Stop your whining. If you are frightened, be silent. Whining is for prey. It attracts predators. And you are not prey.

Are you sleepwalking?' A voice asked behind me. "I was testing dorm security, " I said. "It sucks.

Attention is the beginning of devotion.

Lady Moon rose an' gazed o'er my busted'n'beautsome Valleys with silv'ry'n'sorryin' eyes, an' the dingos mourned for the died uns.

Tomorrow you will say Donald Trump wants to get along with Russia, this is terrible! It's not terrible. It's good.

We should remember that just as a positive outlook on life can promote good health, so can everyday acts of kindness.

Only three things are necessary to make life happy: the blessing of God, books , and a friend.

Do not erase the designs the child makes in the soft wax of his inner life.

Warren Beatty once quipped that the best time for a wedding was noon, because if the marriage didn't work, you hadn't screwed up the entire day.

Between '89 and '93 I was a wild child, a real nutter.

It is more blessed to give than to receive, and therefore less blessed to receive than to give.