They are saying that if life has a structure, a staff, a sensible scaffold, we hang our nonsense on it. And they are saying that broken parts add color and music to the staff of life.

Can you know excellence if you've never seen it? Can you know good if you have seen only bad?

The eyes are the windows of the soul.... If someone was to look into your eyes, what would you want them to see?

Nathan, how can you stand playing the same piece over and over again?" And Grandpa Nate answered, "Why don't you ask me how I can stand making love to the same woman over and over again?

How can you know what is missing if you’ve never met it? You must know of something’s existence before you can notice its absence.

The way I see it, the difference between farmers and suburbanites is the difference in the way we feel about dirt. To them, the earth is something to be respected and preserved, but dirt gets no respect. A farmer likes dirt. Suburbanites like to get rid of it. Dirt is the working layer of earth, and dealing with dirt is as much a part of farm life as dealing with manure. Neither is user-friendly but both are necessary.

Sometimes we even have to risk making fools of ourselves.