Sometimes he spent hours together in the great libraries of Paris, those catacombs of departed authors, rummaging among their hoards of dusty and obsolete works in quest of food for his unhealthy appetite. He was, in a manner, a literary ghoul, feedi...
When there’s a vacuum of public input, lobbyists usually fill it. But when there’s public input, the people usually win.
This is the paradox of the power of literature: it seems that only when it is persecuted does it show its true powers, challenging authority, whereas in our permissive society it feels that it is being used merely to create the occasional pleasing co...
Sottotenente Montanelli: – Bere e vivere. Cognac. Dormire e vivere e cognac. Stare all’ombra e vivere. E ancora del cognac. E non pensare a niente. Perché, se dovessimo pensare a qualcosa, dovremmo ucciderci l’un l’altro e finirla una volta ...
In the first place, most princes apply themselves to the arts of war, in which I have neither ability nor interest, instead of to the good arts of peace. They are generally more set on acquiring new kingdoms by hook or by crook than on governing well...
[how can anyone] be silly enough to think himself better than other people, because his clothes are made of finer woolen thread than theirs. After all, those fine clothes were once worn by a sheep, and they never turned it into anything better than a...
The art of music is good, for the reason, among others, that it produces pleasure; but what proof is it possible to give that pleasure is good? If, then, it is asserted that there is a comprehensive formula, including all things which are in themselv...
I'm glad you were both here," I finally manage, thinking how strange it is to be standing with the two people who made you, something most kids take for granted every day of their lives.
Simple things, simple pleasures, cutting and splitting wood, a love of the country they wanted to see more of, memories of softball fields and a girl named Amanda. There are such women as Theresa "Sam" Fitzgerald who love their men. Are content with ...
I write down my dreams. I use the excuse “I’m writing” to sleep all the time.
Music is the language of all. It tames the savage beast and allows us to get over heartbreak. It helps us express what we really want to say and it has the power to lift hearts and awaken our souls….
If you find you're not getting what you want, stop and think about what it is you really need. If there is a lesson to be learned, learn it. Getting what you need, will often lead to what you truly want...
For some twenty years the window that opened at the end of the Cold War has been allowed to hang flapping in the wind. It is high time that the five nuclear-weapon states take seriously their commitment to negotiate toward nuclear disarmament.
—Porque eres tu. Porque prefieres lastimarte a ti mismo antes de lastimar a alguien más. Porque eres un amigo asombroso y un increíble hijo. Tu peleaste por mí, y te preocupaste por mí. —Te lastimé. —Tu te has hecho mas daño.
Manipulation, fueled with good intent, can be a blessing. But when used wickedly, it is the beginning of a magician's karmic calamity.
All should be laid open to you without reserve, for there is not a truth existing which I fear, or would wish unknown to the whole world.
I regret exceedingly that the disputes between the protestants and Roman Catholics should be carried to the serious alarming height mentioned in your letters. ; and I was not without hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy of the present age wo...
A smart man understood that victory was not inevitable. An even smarter man knew that defeat was never really total if you figured out how to handle the aftermath with skill and just the right spin. And the smartest men of all, even when they lost, t...
Rights are not easy to obtain, and once we understand this, we must work attentively and persistently - and never become careless or lazy.
To keep my cat from drinking out of the toilet, I could close the toilet lid, I could close the bathroom door, or I could pull my straw out of the water and stop setting a bad example.
Rest in the knowledge that God is both abundantly gracious and ridiculously generous.
