Inventive man has invented nothing — nothing from scratch. If he has produced a machine that in motion overcomes the law of gravity, he learned the essentials from the observation of birds. – Dorothy Thompson
I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs. – Joseph Addison, The Spectator, 1712
A late lark twitters from the quiet skies: And from the west, Where the sun, his days work ended, Lingers as in content, There falls on the old, gray city An influence luminous and serene, A shining peace. – William Ernest Henley
Every wise, just, and mild government, by rendering the condition of its subjects easy and secure, will always abound most in people, as well as in commodities and riches. – David Hume
Get up tomorrow early in the morning, and earlier than you did today, and do the best that you can. Always stay near me, for tomorrow I will have much to do and more than I ever had, and tomorrow blood will leave my body above the breast. – Joan of Arc
To be completely woman you need a master, and in him a compass for your life. You need a man you can look up to and respect. If you dethrone him its no wonder that you are discontented, and discontented women are not loved for long. – Marlene Dietrich