"If we follow the example of Jesus Christ and become true peacemakers, that flood of love will cover the earth as with a blanket."

“In the first period religious life appears as a form of discipline which the individual or a whole people must accept as an unconditional command without any rational understanding of the ultimate meaning and purpose of that command.”

“The ruling passion of the age is to convert wealth into debt in order to derive a permanent future income from it - to convert wealth that perishes into debt that endures, debt that does not rot, costs nothing to maintain, and brings in perennial interest.”

“I suppose we make kids the repository of our highest ideals because children are powerless. In that way we can have ideals and ignore them at the same time.”

“I have a very simple philosophy of life: Kindness. Ferocious, unrelenting, ruthless, committed, passionate, kindness. Life is sacred everywhere. We all have better things to do than beat each other up. Arguing for the exception is to invest it with energy, it's to negotiate the loophole. The commitment to kindness must be total.”

“Had I mentioned to someone around 1795 that I planned to write, anyone with any sense would have told me to write for two hours every day, with or without inspiration. Their advice would have enabled me to benefit from the ten years of my life I totally wasted waiting for inspiration.”

Source : Enrique Vila-Matas (2007). “Bartleby & Co.”, p.31, New Directions Publishing

“Mediocrity is now, as formerly, dangerous, commonly fatal, to the poet; but among even the successful writers of prose, those who rise sensibly above it are the very rarest exceptions.”

“Everyone is more than what you see on the cover; we all run deep and have our story.”

Source : "Award-winning Musician Rachael Yamagata: Gratitude for Mornings, Music, and Mom". Interview with Maranda Pleasant, www.marandapleasantmedia.com.

“To me designing has never been a job or profession. It's a way of life, like a priest or rabbi.”