"The pursuit of excellence requires knowing that the light of knowledge dispels the darkness of ignorance."

"The path we have chosen for the present is full of hazards, as all paths are. The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission."

"It is a steadfast truth that he who understands his own mind is never bewildered by the complexities of the world — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"To state the facts frankly is not to despair the future nor indict the past. The prudent heir takes careful inventory of his legacies and gives a faithful accounting to those whom he owes an obligation of trust."

"How young can you die of old age?"

"The earth is rocky and full of roots it's clay, and it seems doomed and polluted, but you dig little holes for the ugly shriveled bulbs, throw in a handful of poppy seeds, and cover it all over, and you know you'll never see it again - it's death and clay and shrivel, and your hands are nicked from the rocks, your nails black with soil."

"Life is a predicament which precedes death."

"The leading cause of death among fashion models is falling through street grates."