The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.

To make a contented slave it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken the moral and mental vision and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason.

Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.

The chief danger in life is that you may take too many precautions.

If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been.

He who possesses most must be most afraid of loss.

Let us resolve to be masters, not victims, of our history, controlling our own destiny without giving way to blind suspicions and emotions.

Thinking too well of people often allows them to be better than they otherwise would.

The man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of everything else to which he is justly entitled.

It wasn't until late in life that I discovered how easy it is to say "I don't know."

Plans will get you into things, but you have got to work your way out.

The average person puts only 25% of his energy and ability into his work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%.

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.