The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering the prisons.

The beauty and completeness of a wild apple tree living its own life in the woods is heartily acknowledged by all those who have been so happy as to form its acquaintance. The fine wild piquancy of its fruit is unrivaled, but in the great question of quantity as human food wild apples are found wanting. Man, therefore, takes the tree from the woods, manures and prunes and grafts,plans and guesses, adds a little of this and that, selects and rejects, until apples of every conceivable size and softness are produced, like nut galls in response to the irritating punctures of insects. Orchard apples are to me the most eloquent words that culture had ever spoken, but they reflect no imperfection upon Nature's spicy crab.

John Muir, Steep Trails, page 15

I'm a better person in a relationship, and I'm a happier person. I need to come home at the end of the day and have it not be about me and my freaking hair and makeup and character motivations anymore. And I think my work is more inspired when home is safe and sound and solid, because what I do for a living is so bananas and so insecure.

Ginnifer Goodwin

Today the U.S. is farther from being nourished by poetry than it was a hundred years ago, when books of poems were best-sellers.

James Broughton

Too great a hurry to discharge an obligation is a kind of ingratitude.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld

It's interesting to see what people are saying about me. I like keep up with the latest rumors! A while back there was a rumor that I was going to do a film with Demi Moore about the takeover of Commodore computers!

Warwick Davis

Man's fear of ideas is probably the greatest dike holding back human knowledge and happiness.

Morris L. Ernst

Modeling has given me the opportunity to travel outside of Brazil and see the world. I have been meeting many interesting and talented people along the way.

Izabel Goulart

Self-reliance, the height and perfection of man, is reliance on God.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A woman might claim to retain some of the child's faculties, although very limited and defused, simply because she has not been encouraged to learn methods of thought and develop a disciplined mind. As long as education remains largely induction ignorance will retain these advantages over learning and it is time that women impudently put them to work.

Germaine Greer

We must not enable anyone to impose his personal view regarding religion on others by force, oppression, or pressure.

Shirin Ebadi

May God bless you to live as long as you want to; and want to as long as you live!

Scottish Proverb

I'm one of those writers who tends to be really good at making outlines and sticking to them. I'm very good at doing that, but I don't like it. It sort of takes a lot of the fun out.

Neil Gaiman