About the only value the story of my life may have is to show that one can, even without any particular gifts, overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable if one is willing to face the fact that they must be overcome.

Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.’

How can we be such fools as to go on senselessly taking human life in this way? Why the women in every nation do not rise up and refuse to bring children into a world of this kind is beyond my understanding.

Perhaps the basic thing which contributes to charm is the ability to forget oneself and be engrossed in other people.

Once your children are grown up and have children of their own, the problems are theirs and the less the older generation interferes the better.

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.

A respect for the rights of other peoples to determine their forms of government and their economy will not weaken our democracy. It will inevitably strengthen it.