“Reflect upon your present blessings of which ever man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some.” —Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870), Writer

“My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind… and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge. That’s why I read so much, Jon Snow.” —George R. R. Martin, author "A Song of Ice and Fire" series

“Keep looking and keep drawing. By doing this, you'll find that your notion of what 'perfect' actually means will shift and evolve accordingly. You'll start to look at things in a different light. You'll scrutinise things more.” —Matt Pagett, author “Sketching & Drawing”

“Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.” —Gilda Radner, Emmy Award-winning comedienne and actress

“If you cannot accurately predict the future, then you must flexibly be prepared to deal with various possible futures.” —Edward de Bono, British physician, author, inventor, and consultant

“By "shrine," I didn't mean a niche with candles, flowers, and a statue, but rather, Eleanor-like, an area that enshrined my passions, interests, and values. A shrine is arranged with care. It entices people to particular activities and moods. It's a sign of dedication.” —Gretchen Rubin, author ”Happier at Home”

“For better or worse, buying things (or photographing them, cataloging them, or writing reviews about them) is a way to engage with the world. When we're interested in something, we often express that by researching, shopping, buying, and collecting.” —Gretchen Rubin, author ”Happier at Home”

“Drummers typically take years to learn to move their limbs independently, and guitarists (as I was starting to realize) take many moons to learn to change chords smoothly.” —Gary Marcus, author “Guitar Zero”