Wisdom

Cynicism is extremely contagious, and the most pious among us cannot long endure its potency. The gullible should be on their guard, however, since this endearing quality frequently masquerades as wit.

Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.

The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret.

Words have power, my son. Words can cut to the heart and soothe the deepest hurts. They can be puzzles that leave another pondering for days. I prefer to cast my spells of words in ways that make others think. It is a fault, I fear, that has come with age.

When you blame, you open up a world of excuses, because as long as you're looking outside, you miss the opportunity to look inside, and you continue to suffer.

In writing, a good guy must never break any of the Ten Commandments. A bad guy must break every one. That's why writing female characters is so much fun. They're not GUYS at all.

Upon the one thing every writer absolutely must have, and that is intellectual curiosity.

Lost time is never found again.

A wise person is like a lighthouse. We are looking for their lights and follow them when we are in danger.

One cannot shape the world without being reshaped in the process. Each gain of power requires its own sacrifice.

Often, when I am able to check out a book, I read it a dozen times before returning it, desperate to remain lost in the magic of someone else's story.

A failure is a man who has blundered but is not able to cash in the experience.

What does reason demand of a man? A very easy thing-to live in accord with his own nature.

Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils ...

When they're talking about me they're letting someone else rest.

We ought to know that all people are not the same and so we must not expect the same attitude from all people. Different people behave differently and that is what makes different people different.

The study of history requires investigation, imagination, empathy, and respect. Reverence just doesn't enter into it.

I should've known the eyes. Wide, bright blue, and something about the delicate arc of the lids: a cat's slant, a pale jeweled girl in an old painting, a secret.

Find the Key ! Find the Key ! If you want to open the Doors of Heaven ! Without which, you can at best, look from outside, like the pauper looking in through the window at your food when hungry. Find the Key !

As soon as healing takes place, go out and heal somebody else.