“Lincoln told a family friend that his father taught him to work, but never learned him to love it.”

“Literature offered a safe circumscribed outlet for sadness.”

“God produced great writing, a matter of first importance to a man like Lincoln, ever impressed with the nature of cause and forces.”

“A storyteller, a displaced poet, will absorb reading differently.”

“Young, healthy communities can afford to roll the dice.”

“The towering genius is not apolitical.”

“Habits are infinitely more beneficial to the aspiring student than motivation. Motivation may get you started, but habits keep you going.”

“Just know that the achievement of anything grand takes consistent effort year after year. Motivation can uphold you intermittently, but it has too few calories to sustain a life.”

“Systems and processes will always surpass motivation.”

“If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old”

“I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones.”

“Each voice carries a portion of value, no matter how unpalatable or distasteful that voice may be: no one person, government, ideology, transnational, or religious institution can own and dominate ...”