I had ambition not only to go farther than any man had ever been before, but as far as it was possible for a man to go.

All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind.

How does one kill fear, I wonder? How do you shoot a specter through the heart, slash off its spectral head, take it by its spectral throat?

It is to be remarked that a good many people are born curiously unfitted for the fate waiting them on this earth.

When I was graduating from college, the things I valued most were family, faith, and philanthropy. I refer to them as the three f's, phonetically speaking.

One of the great lessons the fall of the leaf teaches, is this: do your work well and then be ready to depart when God shall call.

Do I envy Madonna's body? Yes. Do I thank God that she has it? Yes! If you're fifty-something and you look like Madonna, and you put a lifetime's work in the way you look, then flash it to the world!

I think the issue of clergy sexual abuse sparked people to look at their faith in a different way.