One word from the Lord is like a piece of gold to a believer, who is like a jeweler, shaping and hammering out the promise for a number of weeks.

Religion is something left over from the infancy of our intelligence, it will fade away as we adopt reason and science as our guidelines.

The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving things inside us.

Yes, and I can sit down on a white piece of paper and work because I don’t believe too much into inspiration, only I’m waiting for inspiration, work and then inspiration may come. It’s a little too easy to say that.

A wounded deer leaps the highest.

The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.

It is my belief that nearly any invented quotation, played with confidence, stands a good chance to deceive.

I always want to listen to people and receive good criticism, but I just don’t have to answer to them; I have to answer to God.

The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who have lost the power of reason.

I believe that Jesus was, you know, the Son of God. And I understand that… we need to be really, really respectful to people who find that ridiculous and… preposterous.

Chance gives rise to thoughts, and chance removes them; no art can keep or acquire them.

Your ordinary acts of love and hope point to the extraordinary promise that every human life is of inestimable value.

I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help – and God’s.

All my life affection has been showered upon me, and every forward step I have made has been taken in spite of it.

I read everything, but generally more fact than fiction – especially autobiographies and biographies. I’ve read ‚Long Walk to Freedom‘ by Nelson Mandela at least twice on holiday. Every time, I’m totally awed by his vision, strength and forgiveness. I feel honoured to have got to know him and his wonderful wife Graca over the years.

All art is but imitation of nature.

I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time.

I’m a religious woman. And I feel I have responsibility. I have no modesty at all. I’m even afraid of it – it’s a learned affectation and it’s just stuck on me like decals. Now I pray for humility because that comes from inside out.

To you I’m an atheist; to God, I’m the Loyal Opposition.

Human beings must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.

When I started Virgin from a basement in west London, there was no great plan or strategy. I didn’t set out to build a business empire… For me, building a business is all about doing something to be proud of, bringing talented people together and creating something that’s going to make a real difference to other people’s lives.

I do believe in the energy and the productivity of the American business world.

I’ve had all six of my books reach the New York Times bestseller list, which is especially rewarding seeing as I flunked out of high school twice because I couldn’t write. It just goes to show you that we learn from our mistakes.

I spent most of the early years of my walk with God focused on what was wrong with me. Most of us probably do that, hoping to change ourselves.

Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.

Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light.

Man’s nature is not essentially evil. Brute nature has been known to yield to the influence of love. You must never despair of human nature.

Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.

Somehow, we have come to the erroneous belief that we are all but flesh, blood, and bones, and that’s all. So we direct our values to material things.

To do a dull thing with style-now that’s what I call art.

Every man who attacks my belief, diminishes in some degree my confidence in it, and therefore makes me uneasy; and I am angry with him who makes me uneasy.

Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.

He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.

God knows what we are going through when we grieve, and He wants to assure us of His love and concern. He also wants us to turn to Him and bring our heartaches and burdens to Him.

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion.

If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.

The Church is like a great tree whose roots must be energetically anchored in the earth while its leaves are serenely exposed to the bright sunlight. In this way, she sums up a whole gamut of beats in a single living and all-embracing act, each one of which corresponds to a particular degree or a possible form of spiritualisation.

Man is supposed to be the maker of his destiny. It is only partly true. He can make his destiny, only in so far as he is allowed by the Great Power.

I try to use my experience and the fact that I grew up in the ghetto – I tell people you don’t have to rob or steal to get out of the ghetto.

Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. The thing is to get the work done.

I’ve had two cancer bouts in my years on the Court, and the first one, Justice O’Connor told me, ‚Now, you do the chemotherapy on Friday because you’ll get over it during the weekend and you can be back in court on Monday.‘

The eagle has no fear of adversity. We need to be like the eagle and have a fearless spirit of a conqueror!

I think that I do feel that my nature is to express what this self, this particular self at this time, experiences in the world. And that is so organic – I use this metaphor a lot but I’ll use it again – it’s like a pine tree producing pine cones, or a blackberry bush producing blackberries – it’s just what happens with this being, now.

He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast.

Lets have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.

Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.

I read the book of Job last night, I don’t think God comes out well in it.

Admiration for a quality or an art can be so strong that it deters us from striving to possess it.

I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.

I’m trying to make God more relevant in our society. And I think talking in everyday terms and making sure people can understand it – I think that’s important.

I believe we are still so innocent. The species are still so innocent that a person who is apt to be murdered believes that the murderer, just before he puts the final wrench on his throat, will have enough compassion to give him one sweet cup of water.

I feel like my message is to let people know that God is a good God, that He’s on their side, and no matter what happens, He has a great plan for them.

To take a few nouns, and a few pronouns, and adverbs and adjectives, and put them together, ball them up, and throw them against the wall to make them bounce. That’s what Norman Mailer did. That’s what James Baldwin did, and Joan Didion did, and that’s what I do – that’s what I mean to do.

Religion is more than life. Remember that his own religion is the truest to every man even if it stands low in the scales of philosophical comparison.

The battle is all over except the ‚shouting‘ when one knows what is wanted and has made up his mind to get it, whatever the price may be.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.

Each one prays to God according to his own light.

I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.

On Sundays when I speak, I hopefully give somebody something that they can use the next day at work or at home.