Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.

I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.

A room without books is like a body without a soul.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.

You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.

If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.

Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow
Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead
Walk beside me… just be my friend

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

Friendship ... is born at the moment when one man says to another "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.

I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.

It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.

As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.

It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).

Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.

The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.

The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.

A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

Love all, trust a few,
Do wrong to none: be able for thine enemy
Rather in power than use; and keep thy friend
Under thy own life's key: be check'd for silence,
But never tax'd for speech.

Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.

Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.


The Paradoxical Commandments


People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...

That which does not kill us makes us stronger.

It is never too late to be what you might have been.

For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.

This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And baby, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soulmate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about.

It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.

I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.

I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.

If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

Anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a Christian must also think that sitting in a garage can make you a car.

I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.

You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She's not perfect—you aren't either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break—her heart. So don't hurt her, don't change her, don't analyze and don't expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she's not there.

Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.

You love me. Real or not real?"
I tell him, "Real.

Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.

Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.

Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?

Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.

I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens.

If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.

To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.

It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.