What is called poetic insight is the gift of discerning, in this sphere of strangely-mingled elements, the beauty and the majesty which are compelled to assume a garb so sordid.

Shall we never never get rid of this Past? ... It lies upon the Present like a giant's dead body.

As a general rule, Providence seldom vouchsafes to mortals any more than just that degree of encouragement which suffices to keep them at a reasonably full exertion of their powers.

Strength is incomprehensible by weakness, and, therefore, the more terrible.

Angels do not toil, but let their good works grow out of them.

he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.

When he is cheerful--when the sun shines into his mind--then I venture to peep in, just as far as the light reaches, but no further. It is holy ground where the shadow falls!

... for when a man's spirit has been thoroughly crushed, he may be peevish at small offenses, but never resentful of great ones.

Jim Crow, moreover, was seen executing his world-renowned dance, in gingerbread.

Might and wrong combined, like iron magnetized, are endowed with irresistible attraction.

It is very queer, but not the less true, that people are generally quite as vain, or even more so, of their deficiencies than of their available gifts.

Beware of people who tell you it can't be done. They want to remain on the market alone

As long as we don't get turned into something that looks more like high school, more like everybody else and less like us, I'll be okay.

Always wash you feet last.

Memory has always been social. Now we’re using search engines and computers to augment our memories, too.

Betrayal. It's one of the worst feelings.

Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.

Coltrane was moving out of jazz into something else. And certainly Miles Davis was doing the same thing.

We all want to know what went wrong, even when there isn't really an answer to that question.

I don't know if I'm a medium for some outside source. Whatever it is, frankly, I hope it's not what I think … Satan.

At the heart of the mystery of corruption lies the desire of one man to impose his will on others to the largest possible extent.