The country of the tourist pamphlet always is another country, an embarrassing abstraction of the desirable that, thank God, does not exist on this planet, where there are always ants and bad smells and empty Coca-Cola bottles to keep the grubby finger-print of reality upon the beautiful.

Affliction is often that thing which prepares an ordinary person for some sort of an extraordinary destiny.

C.S. Lewis

In my relationship, I was giving myself away to make the relationship better, but in actuality, wasn't doing better by doing that. I became less of a man.

Jason Mraz

Patriotism, when it wants to make itself felt in the domain of learning, is a dirty fellow who should be thrown out of doors.

Arthur Schopenhauer

Without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget those acts of courage with which men have lived. The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he mustin spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressuresand that is the basis of all human morality. In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his consciencethe loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow meneach man must decide for himself the course he will follow. The stories of past courage can define that ingredientthey can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

We do not rejoice in victories. We rejoice when a new kind of cotton is grown and when strawberries bloom in Israel.

Golda Meir

I don't think Auden liked my poetry very much, he's very Anglican.

Stevie Smith

It's not necessary to tell all you know... You're not gonna change any one of them by talkin' right. They've got to want to learn themselves, and when they don't want to learn there's nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language.

Harper Lee

The language of excitement is at best picturesque merely. You must be calm before you can utter oracles.

Henry David Thoreau

Ron's eyebrows rose so high that they were in danger of disappearing into his hair.

J.K. Rowling

I've learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.

Martha Washington

Applause is a receipt, not a bill.

Artur Schnabel

I'm happy, I'm in a good place, I'm looking forward to my future.

Katy Perry