William Safire I was about half in love with her by the time we sat down. That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. We have a Bill of Rights, which protects each of us from a bullying society, but no Bill of Responsibilities, which would oblige us to answer to the needs of others. A good idea will keep you awake during the morning, but a great idea will keep you awake during the night.
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.
A man's interest in the world is only an overflow from his interest in himself. To find in ourselves what makes life worth living is risky business, for it means that once we know we must seek it. It also means that without it, life will be valueless. Whether by the strike of the enemy or your own thrust, whether by the man who strikes or the sword that strikes, whether by position or rhythm, if your mind is diverted in any way, your actions will falter, you will be cut down. It takes a lot of time to be a genius, you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing.