“Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.”

There are two ways of spreading light, to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.

Truth is so hard to tell, it sometimes needs fiction to make it plausible.

Champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends.

Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.

In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.

A little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion.

Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished.

Choose the life that is most useful, and habit will make it the most agreeable.

Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.

It is impossible to love and be wise.

For friends, do but look upon good books, they are true friends, that will neither flatter nor dissemble.

The monuments of wit survive the monuments of power.

Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority.

The only really interesting thing is what happens between two people in a room.

Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake.

I tell people, you know, going to the club doesn’t make me a bad person, going to church doesn’t make you a good one.

When we are in doubt whether an action is good or bad, abstain from it.

Don’t feel bad when I die; I’ve been dead for a long time.

What people don’t understand is joining a gang ain’t bad, it’s cool, it’s fine. When you in the hood, joining a gang it’s cool because all your friends are in the gang, all your family’s in the gang. We’re not just killing people every night, we’re just hanging out, having a good time.

You’re gutless. It’s how you were made. And that’s not such a bad thing because your saving grace is that you’ve never lied to yourself about it. Not about that. Nothing wrong with cowardice as long as it comes with prudence. But when a coward stops remembering who he is God help him.

We are thinking about bad only those who are worse than we are, and those who are better than us … I’m just not up to us … One does not follow it than smell roses. Another of the bitter herbs will produce honey. Give bread to one – will remember forever. Another life donation – do not understand.

The past is never the past. It is always present. And you better reckon with it in your life and in your daily experience, or it will get you. It will get you really bad.

So nothing is ever good or bad unless you think it so, and vice versa. All luck is good luck to the man who bears it with equanimity.