"We, as we read," Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in an essay on history, "must become Greeks, Romans, Turks, priest and king, martyr and executioner; must fasten these images to some reality in our secret experience, or we shall learn nothing rightly."

It was a maxim with him that power is not so much shown in talent or in successful performance as in tone; the absolute or the victorious tone ... He disliked limitations, and welcomed whatever promised to get rid of them, without always inquiring very closely what was left when they were removed.

That which struck me most, as distinguishing him from most other human beings, is nobility. He is a born nobleman.

So gentle that he seemed only reading to one person, and yet his voice was so distinct that it filled the room in its lowest tones.

No member of a crew is praised for the rugged individuality of his rowing.

For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.