A lot of people refuse to do things because they don't want to go naked, don't want to go without guarantee. But that's what's got to happen. You go naked until you die.
The public pleasures of far the greater part of mankind are counterfeit.
The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.
Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.
He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts.
Our aspirations are our possibilities.
Exert your talents, and distinguish yourself, and don't think of retiring from the world, until the world will be sorry that you retire.
Some of the memories were not clear - -dim human memories, seen through weak eyes and heard through weak ears: the first time I'd seen his face. . . the way it felt when he'd held me in the meadow. . . the sound of his voice through the darkness of my faltering consciousness when he'd save me from James. . . his face as he waited under a canopy of flowers to marry me. . . every precious moment on the island. . . his cold hands touching our baby through my skin.
I guess the most difficult thing for me was living up to my mom's expectations. I was always scared that if I didn't do things in this certain way, then my mom just wouldn't think I was great. That's something that was difficult for me growing up.
Christianity is simply the ideal form of manhood represented to us by Jesus Christ.
America's still a very, very powerful symbol and a very important place of leadership for the world.