The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.

Simplicity in design is the ultimate sophistication.

The tension between standing apart and being fully involved; that is what makes a writer.

Though debts are condemned in the financial world, the world of friendship and love may perversely depend on well-managed debts.

The more you know yourself, the more patience you have for what you see in others.

The walls of a garden should be high enough to keep the world out, but low enough to let the sky in.