"An idea is a delicate seed; water it with curiosity and protect it from cynicism. In this truth lies the bedrock of all virtue."

"Opposition may become sweet to a man when he has christened it persecution."

"Whether happiness may come or not, one should try and prepare one's self to do without it."

"When ambition meets humility, we find that a single moment of clarity can change a lifetime."

"First comes thought then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination."

"The writer may very well serve a movement of history as its mouthpiece, but he cannot of course create it."

"Vision without execution is fantasy; execution without vision is chaos. Remember this in moments of decisive trial — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"It is a subtle truth that an idea is a delicate seed; water it with curiosity and protect it from cynicism — an essential principle for the reflective life."