“We're all dead the moment we're born. Just, some of us get there faster than others.”

“After all, what more does a true genius want? The mind itself is the palace where all the real treasures, the works of art, the indulgences exist.”

“In a world turned upside-down, where everything was wrong, bizarre, you could at least look up at the sky and see normality. Stars that shone regardless of who won a civil war, or who should or should not be a president. Their light was billions of years old. They didn't have a care...”

“I am no coward sir! I shall stand and fight!""Well, I am," said Sal. "So can we go... please?”

“Unfortunately we often get praise for things that weren't particularly difficult to achieve. If we focus on the props and encouragement of those who have low expectations for us, we become mediocre. It can be challenging to set our sights on excellence, particularly when we're hearing that we're already there. One of life's greatest lessons, which we all must learn, could be expressed in the phrase "That was nothing. Watch this." Challenge yourself and others to call the normal things normal and save that word excellent for things that really are.”

“It's not just college grades that fall in a curve. Human decency is bell-shaped, with some of us slopping over the edges. Saints on one end, sinners on the other.”

“We're called to be faithful, to take those first difficult steps--and to leave the results up to God.”