The soil under the grass is dreaming of a young forest, and under the pavement the soil is dreaming of grass.

But the only possible guarantee of the future is responsible behavior in the present.

Do not tax your life with forethought of grief.

A teacher's major contribution may pop out anonymously in the life of some ex-student's grandchild. A teacher, finally, has nothing to go on but faith, a student nothing to offer in return but testimony.

We need better government, no doubt about it. But we also need better minds, better friendships, better marriages, better communities.

The chance you had is the life you've got. You can make complaints about what people, including you, make of their lives after they have got them, and about what people make of other people's lives, ...but you mustn't wish for another life. You mustn't want to be somebody else.

The presence of the present has become insistent, undeniable, and I dare not look away.