“The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action.”

“If you put away those who report accurately, you’ll keep only those who know what you want to hear. I can think of nothing more poisonous than to rot in the stink of your own reflections.”

“Bureaucracy destroys initiative. There is little that bureaucrats hate more than innovation, especially innovation that produces better results than the old routines. Improvements always make those at the top of the heap look inept. Who enjoys appearing inept?”

“I didn't want to be different.I wanted to be able to laughBut I'm sister to an Emperor who's worshiped as a god. People fear me. I never wanted to be feared.I don't want to be part of history, I just want to be loved . . . and to love.”

“Good governance never depends upon laws, but upon the personal qualities of those who govern. The machinery of government is always subordinate to the will of those who administer that machinery. The most important element of government, therefore, is the method of choosing leaders.”

“Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, 'I am not the kind of person I want to be.' It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied.”

“There is only one true wealth in all the universe--living time.”