There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could realize his conception of the beautiful.

I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.

Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.

The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.

Oh, brothers! I don't care for brothers. My elder brother won't die, and my younger brothers seem never to do anything else.

If a man treats life artistically, his brain is his heart.

What fire does not destroy, it hardens

All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril.

Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives.

Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.

The basis of optimism is sheer terror.

Books. The reading, writing and cultivation of books is my form of meditation. The books in my life have brought me the closet to divinity.

It was my first lesson in the fragility of attraction.

There was no such thing as defeat if you didn't accept it.

Most parts in comedy, they're not really written for men. They're written for, like, these boy-men.

Worry is thinking that has turned toxic. It is jarring music that goes round and round and never comes to either climax or conclusion.

There's a physicality and confidence to Americans; they're very present. That's something I enjoy being around because it rubs off on you.

Pity, unlike hate, can be boxed and put away.

I'm honored to be in a position to have young girls or performers look up to me.

Perseverance is a choice. It's not a simple, one-time choice, it's a daily one. There's never a final decision.

Now I've wrestled alotta countries!