"Speak with caution. Even if someone forgives harsh words you've spoken, they may be too hurt to ever forget them. Don't leave a legacy of pain and regret of things you never should have said."

"Maybe the price of forgetting that even in America, even in New York City, when a man from back home is talking, you better listen closely. (Dark City Lights)."

"The sage does not become trapped in semantics, does not mistake map for territory, but rather 'opens things up to the light of Heaven' by flowing with the words, by playing with the words. Once attuned to this flow, the sage need make no special effort to 'illumine,' for language does it by itself, spontaneously. Language spills over."

"In a world in which the common rule which binds and regulates what the general masses feel is undermined, what the general masses feel tend to become the common rule."

"Teaching does allow me to keep one foot in the youthful waters I tend to occupy in my novels, so I'm thankful for that. My students also remind me on a daily basis that the stories I collected during my district attorney days are actually interesting to people who haven't had that experience."

"Are you in the habit of taking tea with anyone who approaches you in a foreign port?” He went on and snorted carelessly. “No wonder you were abducted so easily."

"To obtain greatness and strength, a man must have a good character. He is honorable and respected by others. We define him as intelligent, and as one who God has blessed with wisdom."