"The greatest deception is forgetting that a single spark of imagination can ignite the world."

"It is a timeless truth that the stoutest timber is forged in the fiercest gales, not in the sheltered grove — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"I sometimes think that God in creating man somewhat overestimated his ability."

"A life without philosophical reflection is a vessel adrift on an uncharted sea. This remains the cornerstone of personal mastery."

"But I think it's quite clear in my work that my orientation isn't political or doesn't come out of modern politics."

"If we don't get gun-control laws in this country, we are full of beans. To have the National Rifle Association rule the United States is pathetic. And I agree with Mayor Michael Bloomberg: It's time to put up or shut up about gun control for both parties."

"One of the things being in politics has taught me is that men are not a reasoned or reasonable sex."

"Civil war? What does that mean? Is there any foreign war? Isn't every war fought between men, between brothers?"