The test of all beliefs is their practical effect in life. If it be true that optimism compels the world forward, and pessimism retards it, then it is dangerous to propagate a pessimistic philosophy.

People often ... have no idea how fair the flower is to the touch, nor do they appreciate its fragrance, which is the soul of the flower.

Making a mistake is falling down; failure is not getting up again.

Now, however, I see the folly of attempting to hitch one's wagon to a star with a harness that does not belong to it.

To get Congress to do anything.

A child must feel the flush of victory and the heart-sinking of disappointment before he takes with a will to the tasks distasteful to him and resolves to dance his way through a dull routine of textbooks.

Few pleasures there are indeed without an aftertouch of pain, but that is the preservation which keeps them sweet.