Rabe'a al-Adiwiyah, a great woman saint of Sufism, was seen running through the streets of her hometown, Basra, carrying a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. When someone asked her what she was doing, she answered, 'I am going to take this bucket of water and pour it on the flames of hell, and then I am going to use this torch to burn down the gates of paradise so that people will not love God for want of heaven or fear of hell, but because He is God.

Animals are such agreeable friends they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.

George Eliot

Thou shalt not commit adultry is a command which makes no distinction between the following persons. They are all required to obey it: children at birth. Children in the cradle. School children. Youths and maidens. Fresh adults. Older ones. Men and women of 40. Of 50. Of 60. Of 70. Of 80. Of 100. The command does not distribute its burden equally, and cannot. It is not hard upon the three sets of children.

Mark Twain

Early in the morning, I fell in love with the girl that later on became my wife. At that time, we were so naive. I wanted to charm her, so I read her Capital by Marx. I thought somehow she would be convinced by the strength of his criticism about capital.

Shimon Peres

Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing.

Thomas Jefferson

One can choose life, or choose death. Having chosen life, I must live it as it is.

Sheldon Kopp

Sometimes I think that I cheated my own family and my closest friends by giving to audiences so much of the love I might have kept for them. But that's the way I was made; I truly don't think I could help it

Mary Martin

Wedding: the point at which a man stops toasting a woman and begins roasting her.

Helen Rowland

But I don't want to be out there anymore I don't want people asking me about my health issues, about my kids. I choose not to be a public paparazzi girl on purpose.

Toni Braxton

You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however.

Richard Bach

I love giving gifts and I love receiving them. I really like giving little kids extravagant gifts. You see their little faces light up and they get excited. If it's a really good gift, I love receiving it, like jewels, small islands.

Gina Gershon

We need proof in our society.

Shirley MacLaine

Freedom is always the freedom of dissenters.

Rosa Luxemburg