From the satisfaction of desire there may arise, accompanying joy and as it were sheltering behind it, something not unlike despair. РAndr̩ Gide, The Counterfeiters, 1925

It is a mistake to imagine that potentially great men are rare. It is the conditions that permit the promise of greatness to be fulfilled that are rare. What is so difficult to achieve is the cultural background that permits potential greatness to be converted into actual greatness. – Fred Hoyle, Of Man and Galaxies

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. – Benjamin Franklin (Thank you, Kyle.)

I would rather have men ask why I have no statue than why I have one. – Marcus Porcius Cato