"Respect for the fragility and importance of an individual life is still the mark of an educated man."

"A library, to modify the famous metaphor of Socrates, should be the delivery room for the birth of ideas - a place where history comes to life."

"The tragedy of life is in what dies inside a man while he lives - the death of genuine feeling, the death of inspired response, the awareness that makes it possible to feel the pain or the glory of other men in yourself."

"The capacity for hope is the most significant fact of life. It provides human beings with a sense of destination and the energy to get started."

"A life well-lived is a testament that the legacy we leave is written in the hearts of others."

"One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests."

"Make space in your life for the things that matter, for family and friends, love and generosity, fun and joy. Without this, you will burn out in mid-career and wonder where your life went."

"Desperation is a necessary ingredient to learning anything, or creating anything. Period. If you ain't desperate at some point, you ain't interesting."