Voltaire

Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.

It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.

Men use thought only as authority for their injustice, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.

This self-love is the instrument of our preservation; it resembles the provision for the perpetuity of mankind: it is necessary, it is dear to us, it gives us pleasure, and we must conceal it.

Every great movement must experience three stages ridicule, discussion, adoption.

Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.

Am I ever gonna grow a thick skin? No.

Children have helped me a lot.

Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised.

An idealist is a person who helps other people to be prosperous.

Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.

Every loss of life is terrible.

Despite everybody who has been born and has died, the world has just gone on. I mean, look at Napoleon – but we went right on. Look at Harpo Marx –the world went around, it didn’t stop for a second. It’s sad but true. John Kennedy, right?

What I have never been afraid of is to be a little silly, and you can engage people that way!

The personal life deeply lived always expands into truths beyond itself.

I lie and tell you I had a dream about you last night, so it makes it more socially acceptable to reach out to someone I haven’t spoken to in years.

You have to figure out what that is, and you have to make a plan to get to it. And the plan has got to have a timeline. You have to choose something that you can afford to do and then lock it in and passionately do it.

Writing is good, thinking is better. Cleverness is good, patience is better.

[Moving to the West] was a culture shock. I had never seen cereal before! We had cottage cheese and pancakes in Russia, not colorful circles that came in cardboard boxes.

In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.

They (wives) are people who think when the telephone bell rings, it is against the law not to answer it