“Trying to change someone, and their views, is like throwing paper into a fire.”

“Stepan Arkadyevitch took in and read a liberal paper, not an extreme one, but one advocating the views held by the majority. And in spite of the fact that science, art, and politics had no special interest for him, he firmly held those views on all these subjects which were held by the majority and by his paper, and he only changed them when the majority changed them—or, more strictly speaking, he did not change them, but they imperceptibly changed of themselves within him.”

“Paper balls? You were throwing balled up paper at an alligator?”

“Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.”

“There's an easy method for finding someone when you hear them scream. First get a clean sheet of paper and a sharp pencil. Then sketch out nine rows of fourteen squares each. Then throw the piece of paper away and find whoever is screaming so you can help them. It is no time to fiddle with paper.”

“When you try rescuing someone and discover they can't be reached, why would you ever throw that back in their face?”