"A man sits as many risks as..." - Quote by Henry David Thoreau

“The mode of founding a college is, commonly, to get up a subscription of dollars and cents, and then, following blindly the principles of a division of labor to its extreme,--a principle which should never be followed but with circumspection,--to call in a contractor who makes this a subject of speculation,... and for these oversights successive generations have to pay.”

“A gun will give you the body, not the bird”

“Nature has many scenes to exhibit, and constantly draws a curtain over this part or that. She is constantly repainting the landscape and all surfaces, dressing up some scene for our entertainment. Lately we had a leafy wilderness; now bare twigs begin to prevail, and soon she will surprise us with a mantle of snow. Some green she thinks so good for our eyes that, like blue, she never banishes it entirely from our eyes, but has created evergreens.”

“I had so many people try to talk me out of starting a rocket company, it was crazy.”

“There's nothing inappropriate about having debt in America. It's what helped us grow over time. And it's when debt gets out of control that you worry.”

“So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?”

“Our common country is in great peril, demanding the loftiest views, and boldest action to bring it speedy relief.”

“Every act has both good and evil results. The best we can do is lean to the light.”

“Those who have virtue always in their mouths, and neglect it in practice, are like a harp, which emits a sound pleasing to others, while itself is insensible of the music.”