Mark Twain's Roughing It is a book that many people don't know about, but I highly recommend to anybody at any age.

We must not confuse distortion with innovation; distortion is useless change, art is beneficial change.

You can't force inspiration. It's like trying to catch a butterfly with a hoop but no net. If you keep your mind open and receptive, though, one day a butterfly will land on your finger.

Animation isn't the illusion of life; it is life

If you make a fool of yourself in front of a cat, he will sneer at you, if you are sober; he will leave the room if you are drunk. If you make a fool of yourself in front a dog, he will make a fool of himself, too.

Eschew the ordinary, disdain the commonplace

Eschew the ordinary, disdain the commonplace. If you have a single-minded need for something, let it be the unusual, the esoteric, the bizarre, the unexpected.