“...in the absence of will power, the most complete collection of virtues and talents is wholly worthless.”
“The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be entrusted to man”
“Good art however "immoral" is wholly a thing of virtue. Good art can not be immoral. By good art I mean art that bears true witness, I mean the art that is most precise.”
“Talent is the presence of ability and absence of understanding about the source and operation of knowledge.”
“There is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talents.”
“I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House-- with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”