The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances." — Aristotle
You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor. –Aristotle
I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who overcomes his enemies.
Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.
To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.
I have gained this by philosophy … I do without being ordered what some are constrained to do by their fear of the law.
Young people are in a condition like permanent intoxication, because life is sweet and they are growing.
A general presumption that Icings will govern well, is not a sufficient security to the People... those who subjected themselves to the will of a man were governed by a beast.
'Tis hard to comprehend how one man can come to be master of many, equal to himself in right, unless it be by consent or by force.
Everyone sees they cannot well live asunder, nor many together, without some rule to which all must submit.
If the guitar synthesizer is really going to stand as a synthesizer on its own, it needs to develop a more characteristic sound; I don' think it's gotten there yet.
One of the things I've always loved about New York is there is so much precedent for ornament on industrial buildings.
To me, the nicest luxury would be to have a room where I could keep all my books in one place - and have space for more.
When everything is perfectly orderly and understandable, there has to be one thing that puts everything into question.
You get a show where people are jumping up and dancing, but it's not a critical event in the sense of profound catharsis. Essentially it's celebratory.
I find that here in the States, audiences are generally less knowledgeable, from the cognitive point of view, though they are emotionally more receptive.
And when I met Cecil Taylor it was a complete transformation of musical identities. All the tenets that I had grown up with were thrown out the window.
I don't think I handle the notes much differently from other pianists. But the pauses between the notes - ah, there is where the artistry lies!!
The language of experiment is more authoritative than any reasoning: facts can destroy our ratiocination—not vice versa.
I'm always followed by two or three cars and have police around. Even walking in the park, you see them taking photos behind the bushes and trying to videotape everything.
To protect the right of expression is the central part of an artist's activity... In China many essential rights are lacking, and I wanted to remind people of this.
