Virtue is a habit of the mind, consistent with nature and moderation and reason.

Politicians are not born; they are excreted.

Poor is the nation that has no heroes, but poorer still is the nation that having heroes, fails to remember and honor them.

It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own.

Read at every wait; read at all hours; read within leisure; read in times of labor; read as one goes in; read as one goest out. The task of the educated mind is simply put: read to lead.

We learn nothing from history except that we learn nothing from history.

It is not enough to acquire wisdom, it is necessary to employ it.

Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.

Nothing is more unreliable than the populace, nothing more obscure than human intentions, nothing more deceptive than the whole electoral system.

To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child.

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

Love is the only prayer I know.

Whatever glory belongs to the race for a development unprecedented in history for the given length of time a full share belongs to the womanhood of the race.

We should aim rather at leveling down our desires than leveling up our means.

scapegoat, n. I think our top two are: 1. Not enough coffee. 2. Too much coffee.

I am enjoying myself and I do not mind the loss of personal time and family time when I am doing good films.

Before you speak, make certain you have something worthwhile to say.

Try pitching a story of happiness to your editors and their toes are going to curl up.

The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.

A big producer can survive price fluctuations on the world market. A small farmer can't.

Happy endings make me puke.