I find it unusual that it is more socially acceptable to complain about what you have than it is to read more

I find it unusual that it is more socially acceptable to complain about what you have than it is to ask for what you want.

The man who promises everything is sure to fulfil nothing, and everyone who promises too much is in danger of read more

The man who promises everything is sure to fulfil nothing, and everyone who promises too much is in danger of using evil means in order to carry out his promises, and is already on the road to perdition.

My experience has taught me, and it has become a principle with me, that it is never any benefit to read more

My experience has taught me, and it has become a principle with me, that it is never any benefit to give out and out, to man or woman, money, food, clothing, or anything else, if they are able-bodied and can work and earn what they need, when there is anything on earth for them to do. This is my principle and I try to act upon it. To pursue a contrary course would ruin any community in the world and make them idlers.

It seems that we learn lessons when we least expect them but always when we need them the most, and, read more

It seems that we learn lessons when we least expect them but always when we need them the most, and, the true "gift" in these lessons always lies in the learning process itself.

For me, elegance is not to pass unnoticed but to get to the very soul of what one is.

For me, elegance is not to pass unnoticed but to get to the very soul of what one is.

A favorite has no friend!

A favorite has no friend!

During my eighty-seven years, I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away read more

During my eighty-seven years, I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think.

Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.

Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.

It has to be displayed, this face, on a more or less horizontal plane. Imagine a man wearing a mask, read more

It has to be displayed, this face, on a more or less horizontal plane. Imagine a man wearing a mask, and imagine that the elastic which holds the mask on has just broken, so that the man (rather than let the mask slip off) has to tilt his head back and balance the mask on his real face. This is the kind of tyranny which Lawson's face exerts over the rest of his body as he cruises along the corridors. He doesn't look down his nose at you, he looks along his nose.