Whether the pitcher hits the stone or the stone hits the pitcher, it goes ill with the pitcher.

Pray, look better, sir... those things yonder are no giants, but windmills.

Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn.

In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd.

He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he that loses his courage loses all.

How will he who does not know how to govern himself know how to govern others?

Three things too much, and three too little are pernicious to man; to speak much, and know little; to spend much, and have little; to presume much, and be worth little.

That one man scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To reach the unreachable star.

Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.

The wicked are always ungrateful.

Her father guarded her, and she guarded herself; for there are no padlocks, bolts, or bars, that secure a maiden better than her own reserve.

I don't know... I don't think you can trust any of Kurt's characters. That's how Mr. Sutter operates: nothing is what it seems.

It is only when you know a boy's environment that you can know what influences to bring to bear.

False friends are like our shadow, keeping close to us while we walk in the sunshine, but leaving us the instant we cross into the shade.

I grew up learning this stuff on the streets of New York. My brother and I used to play in the subway for money.

Man can become purified, and with divine vision he can see God. You get pure by chanting, then you see Him.

He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.

Not romance but companionship makes the happiness of daily life.

It isn’t defeat, but rather your mental attitude toward it, that whips you.

No man is charming all of the time. Even Cary Grant is on record saying he wished he could be Cary Grant.

The single biggest reason I got my stories taken in various literary magazines - and I want to stress this - is because I refused to give up. Period.