Leo Tolstoy

In the best, the friendliest and simplest relations flattery or praise is necessary, just as grease is necessary to keep wheels turning.

Sometimes she did not know what she feared, what she desired: whether she feared or desired what had been or what would be, and precisely what she desired, she did not know.

All happy families are alike, but an unhappy family is unhappy after its own fashion.

To educate the peasantry, three things are needed: schools, schools and schools.

It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.

I’m like a starving man who has been given food. Maybe he’s cold, and his clothes are torn, and he’s ashamed, but he’s not unhappy.

The problem is that for women, the average time is just over 14 minutes… men are left with about 12 minutes during which time they need to think of something to do!

Nothing’s funnier to me than laughing at myself.

Efficiency is intelligent laziness.

There it is: it doesn’t make any difference who we are or what we are, there’s always somebody to look down on! somebody to hold in light esteem, somebody to be indifferent about.

A good man often appears gauche simply because he does not take advantage of the myriad mean little chances of making himself look stylish. Preferring truth to form, he is not constantly at work upon the facade of his appearance.

Sailing round the world in a dirty gondola oh, to be back in the land of Coca-Cola!

Eighty percent of all questions are statements in disguise.

Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation.

When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.

The things you own end up owning you.

All begins with you surrounding yourself with the right people—the good and authentic people—and “unsurrounding” yourself with the wrong people. And we both know there are plenty of wrong people in this world.

People who are capable of and fit for freedom liberate themselves from physical thralldom by substituting mind for muscle.

If you really understand Zen, you can use any book, even the dictionary, because the sound of the rain needs no translation.

What I have never been afraid of is to be a little silly, and you can engage people that way!