This little flute of a reed thou hast carried over hills and dales, and hast breathed through it melodies eternally new.
More consequences for thought and action follow the affirmation or denial of God than from answering any other basic question.
All genuine learning is active, not passive. It involves the use of the mind, not just the memory. It is a process of discovery, in which the student is the main agent, not the teacher.
Not to engage in the pursuit of ideas is to live like ants instead of like men.
To agree without understanding is inane. To disagree without understanding is impudent.
I suspect that most of the individuals who have religious faith are content with blind faith. They feel no obligation to understand what they believe. They may even wish not to have their beliefs disturbed by thought. But if God in whom they believe created them with intellectual and rational powers, that imposes upon them the duty to try to understand the creed of their religion. Not to do so is to verge on superstition.
. . . . a good book can teach you about the world and about yourself. You learn more than how to read better; you also learn more about life. You become wiser. Not just more knowledgeable - books that provide nothing but information can produce that result. But wiser, in the sense that you are more deeply aware of the great and enduring truths of human life.
If you don't laugh, you're going to cry and people are crying. That's why I guess you have lots of people like comedians to keep us laughing.
Sometimes our weakness is considered strength, and we take delight in borrowed greatness.
I've never been fascinated by the party lifestyle. Penciling in a night to get wasted is not something I want to do.
I would say facing the obstacles surrounding the day-to-day pressures of an elite athlete at a very young age was not the easiest task. Learning to deal with the nerves and feeling the pressure of representing my country, all while wanting to achieve my own dreams, was a big obstacle to plow through.