Just as the bird sings or the butterfly soars, because it is his natural characteristic, so the artist works.

Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.

Oscar Wilde

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

Tom Schulman, Professor Keating

Without struggle, no progress and no result. Every breaking of habit produces a change in the machine.

George Gurdjieff

The principal act of courage is to endure and withstand dangers doggedly rather than to attack them.

Thomas Aquinas

In every power, of which taste is the foundation, excellence is pretty fairly divided among the sexes.

Jane Austen

Every window in Alcatraz has a view of San Francisco.

Susanna Kaysen

My wife is the boss at home, and my daughters are the bosses. I am just the worker. We are a very warm family and very happy.

Jet Li

There is no kind of harassment that a man may not inflict on a woman with impunity in civilized societies.

Denis Diderot

Watch out for the joy-stealers: gossip, criticism, complaining, faultfinding, and a negative, judgmental attitude.

Joyce Meyer

Pleasure only starts once the worm has got into the fruit, to become delightful happiness must be tainted with poison.

Georges Bataille

It's all about creating a back story for the character and developing emotional responses that are true to life in relation to the character. It isn't necessary to live a tragic life to create from that place.

Corin Nemec

You are mortal. You age, you die. If that is not hell, pray tell me, what is?

Cassandra Clare