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

One advantage in keeping a diary is that you become aware with reassuring clarity of the changes which you constantly suffer.

There’s a part of you – the born-again part, your spirit – that’s dead to sin. That’s why it bothers you now when you sin. The ‚wilderness‘ part of you – your soul – is your unrenewed mind, out-of-control emotions, and stubborn will.

I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, such as getting my girlfriend pregnant when I was 23 and the way I handled that.

I try to teach my heart not to want things it can’t have.

My entire childhood was steeped in poverty. For me, poverty, in a way, was the first inspiration of my life, a commitment to do something for the poor.

When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.

A great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up.

Never take anything for granted.

The primary distinction of the artist is that he must actively cultivate that state which most men, necessarily, must avoid; the state of being alone.

While the crash only took place six months ago, I am convinced we have now passed the worst, and with continued unity of effort, we shall rapidly recover. There is one certainty of the future of a people of the resources, intelligence and character of the people of the United States – that is, prosperity.

When the negative thoughts come – and they will; they come to all of us – it’s not enough to just not dwell on it… You’ve got to replace it with a positive thought.

I am two with nature.

My pride fell with my fortunes.

I was set free because my greatest fear had been realized, and I still had a daughter who I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

Remember, we are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

I keep working because I learn something new all the time.

I’ve always felt like there was a lot of hype around me even when there wasn’t. I felt like everyone was talking about me even when no one was talking about me.

The formation of one’s character ought to be everyone’s chief aim.

Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.

That man is not truly brave who is afraid either to seem or to be, when it suits him, a coward.

It’s more interesting for me to figure out how to be superior in areas where I’m naive, where I’m a novice.

No one gossips about other people’s secret virtues.

There are a lot of ‚chicken Christians.‘ Chickens are generally afraid of life, and they seldom fly or reach their potential in life. And when a storm comes, all they seem to do is flap around the chicken yard, stirring up dirt and running to the chicken house.

The first test of a truly great man is his humility. By humility I don’t mean doubt of his powers or hesitation in speaking his opinion, but merely an understanding of the relationship of what he can say and what he can do.

Really, the only thing that makes sense is to strive for greater collective enlightenment.

Responsibility, I believe, accrues through privilege.

I began writing at the age of 5, but there was a dark period between the ages of 8 and 16 when I didn’t write. I started again at 16 and have no idea why, but it was suddenly the only thing I wanted to do.

When you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself.

Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.

Everyone assumes I practise all of my own laws but I don’t. I think anybody who did would be a horrible ugly person to be around.

I am whatever you say I am; if I wasn’t, then why would you say I am.

Being a full human being is difficult, frightening, and problematical.

However happy people say they are, nobody is satisfied: we always have to be with the prettiest woman, buy a bigger house, change cars, desire what we do not have.

Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.

Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.

It seems the older you get, the more life comes into focus.

My overall look on things is a lot more mature than it used to be.

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.

If patience is worth anything, it must endure to the end of time. And a living faith will last in the midst of the blackest storm.

A Scout smiles and whistles under all circumstances.

But blind to former as to future fate, what mortal knows his pre-existent state?

Life consists in what a man is thinking of all day.

I am being frank about myself in this book. I tell of my first mistake on page 850.

Nay, be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought.

I don’t have a problem with ageing – in fact, I embrace that aspect of it. And am able to and obviously am going to be able to quite easily… it doesn’t faze me at all.

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

I’m crazy, but I’m not too crazy.

Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.

Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; The proper study of mankind is man.

My father probably thought the capital of the world was wherever he was at the time. It couldn’t possibly be anyplace else. Where he and his wife were in their own home, that, for them, was the capital of the world.

I believe that one key to success is to accept truth, no matter how it’s spoken.

This soul, or life within us, by no means agrees with the life outside us. If one has the courage to ask her what she thinks, she is always saying the very opposite to what other people say.

Many people think of perfectionism as striving to be your best, but it is not about self-improvement; it’s about earning approval and acceptance.

Take a course in good water and air; and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you.

He who knows best knows how little he knows.

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.

I’m too busy acting like I’m not Naive. I’ve seen it all, I was here first.

Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.

In other words, don’t expect to always be great. Disappointments, failures and setbacks are a normal part of the lifecycle of a unit or a company and what the leader has to do is constantly be up and say ‚we have a problem, let’s go and get it‘.

I was not an anthropology student prior to the war. I took it up as part of a personal readjustment following some bewildering experiences as an infantryman and later as a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany. The science of the Study of Man has been extremely satisfactory from that personal standpoint.