At painful times, when composition is impossible and reading is not enough, grammars and dictionaries are excellent for distraction.

An ignorance of means may minister to greatness, but an ignorance of aims make it impossible to be great at all.

Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes.

Who so loves believes the impossible.

The existence of a single atheist does not disprove the existence of God.

We need to have a modicum of faith in people's common sense, creativity and will to survive and prosper even in the face of great difficulties and obstacles. If people could keep society running in the aftermath of the Black Death, they could keep it running after the U.S. government defaulted on its debt.

My brethren, when God first began to love you, He gave you all that He ever meant to give you in the lump, and eternity of time is that in which He is retailing of it out.

In 1984, I gave a speech at Notre Dame titled 'Religious Belief and Public Morality.' I said that Catholic legislators will live by the laws of the church because we want to stay in the club.