Every institution not only carries within it the seeds of its own dissolution, but prepares the way for its most hated rival.

A man may build himself a throne of bayonets, but he can't sit on it.

I have never understood why it should be considered derogatory to the Creator to suppose that he has a sense of humour.

The happiest people seem to be those who have no particular cause for being happy except that they are so.

Prayer gives a man the opportunity of getting to know a gentleman he hardly ever meets. I do not mean his maker, but himself.

True faith is belief in the reality of absolute values.

Originality is undetected plagiarism.

The aim of education is the knowledge not of facts but of values.

Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something that is beautiful or to discover something that is true.

It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion.

A nation is a society united by a delusion about its ancestry and by common hatred of its neighbours.

In dealing with Englishmen you can be sure of one thing only, that the logical solution will not be adopted.

We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form.

Events in the past may be roughly divided into those which probably never happened and those which do not matter.

Consciousness is a phase of mental life which arises in connection with the formation of new habits. When habit is formed, consciousness only interferes to spoil our performance.

I think middle-age is the best time, if we can escape the fatty degeneration of the conscience which often sets in at about fifty.

Many people believe that they are attracted by God, or by Nature, when they are only repelled by man.

Theater is, of course, a reflection of life. Maybe we have to improve life before we can hope to improve theater.

Public opinion, a vulgar, impertinent, anonymous tyrant who deliberately makes life unpleasant for anyone who is not content to the average person.

Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due.

Literature flourishes best when it is half a trade and half an art.

It is astonishing with how little wisdom mankind can be governed, when that little wisdom is its own.

To become a popular religion, it is only necessary for a superstition to enslave a philosophy.

There are no rewards or punishments - only consequences.

Whoever marries the spirit of this age will find himself a widower in the next.

Every institution not only carries within it the seeds of its own dissolution, but prepares the way for its most hated rival.

The enemies of freedom do not argue; they shout and they shoot.

No Christian can be a pessimist, for Christianity is a system of radical optimism.

Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something that is beautiful, or to discover something that is true.

We must cut our coat according to our cloth, and adapt ourselves to changing circumstances.

There are two kinds of fools One says This is old therefore it is good. The other one says This is new therefore it is better.

The happy people are those who are producing something the bored people are those who are consuming much and producing nothing.

The world belongs to those who think and act with it who keep a finger on its pulse.

A cat can be trusted to purr when she is pleased which is more than can be said for human beings.

In imperialism nothing fails like success. If the conqueror oppresses his subjects, they will become fanatical patriots, and sooner or later have their revenge; if he treats them well, and governs them for their good, they will multiply faster than their rulers, till they claim their independence.

The church is only a secular institution in which the half-educated speak to the half-converted.

The vulgar mind always mistakes the exceptional for the important.

I'm not even worried about the Internet; that ain't even my thing. I'm not even an Internet guy. You rarely even see me into that.

Exercise plays a huge role in keeping me sane, and that's my primary motivation to 'find time.'

The line of life is a ragged diagonal between duty and desire.

In India, it's the rich who have problems with obesity. And the poor are darker-skinned because they work outside and often work without their tops on so you can see their ribs.

The American people know what's necessary to get this economy moving again. It's fiscal discipline in Washington, D.C. and across-the-board tax relief for working families, small businesses and family farms.

Iraq's elite Republican Guard is doing so badly they're changing their name to the Democratic Guard.

I grew up in a house full of books, and we belonged to the Country Lending Service - each month the State Library would send us a parcel of books by train.

Very often, organizations are inflexible because there is too little communication between functions; they are too segregated.

I don't feel like I need a break from the theater, ever.

The word 'iconic' is used too frequently - an icon is a statue carved in wood. It was shocking at first, when I got that reference. It was a responsibility, and it's impossible to live up to - you're supposed to be dead, for one thing.

Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned.

I may not be perfect but I am perfect enough to be a very good rendition of me.