“The candle aimed its spark of light at heaven, like an artist who consumes himself to become divine.”

“A nation may be moved by its statesmen and defined by its military but it's usually remembered for its artists.”

“A dying organism is often observed to be capable of extraordinary endurance and strength. ... When any living organism is attacked, its whole function seems to aim toward reproduction.”

“Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”

“I am a little man and this is a little town, but there must be a spark in little men that can burst into flame.”

“It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.”

“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit”