Genius consists of equal parts of natural aptitude and hard work.
We can invent only with memory.
Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.
I am thankful that thorns have roses.
All people have three characters, that which they exhibit, that which they have, and that which they think they have.
Love is the most terrible, and also the most generous of the passions; it is the only one which includes in its dreams the happiness of someone else.
Uncertainty is the worst of all evils until the moment when reality makes us regret uncertainty.
When I was a child, kids used to make fun of me because I was blind. But I just became more curious, 'How can I climb this tree and get an apple for this girl?' That's what mattered to me.
The narrative songs were well-written, like an article in The New Yorker. They're nice and pat. They're more like I'm just showing I can do that when I write a song like that. It's not my true calling.
To have a huge, friendly whale willingly approach your boat and look you straight in the eye is without doubt one of the most extraordinary experiences on the planet.
Altruism is the best source of happiness. There is no doubt about that.