I don't have that many days left," he said as we sat together in the library. "Why would I want to spend them on matters of drainage and overdue accounts? I must husband my hours and spend every one of them wisely. I regret that I didn't come to this realization until I reached fifty years of age. Calpurnia, you would do well to adopt such an attitude at an earlier age. Spend each of your allotted hours with care.

The strongest people in the world are the ones who think they're weak.

They all knew this, but this didn't stop them from good-naturedly crowding around the front door every time it opened, every single time, despite the fact that they were never -EVER- let into the house. I loved this particularly fine thing about dogs: Despite a lifetime of denied entrance, hope never died in their hearts.

Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.

It means that we should celebrate today's failure because it is a clear sign that our voyage of discovery is not yet over.

It was too bad, but sometimes a little knowledge could ruin your whole day, or at least take off some of the shine.

It's amazing what you can see when you just sit quietly and look.