First and last, what is demanded of genius is love of truth. A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul. Character develops itself in the stream of life. We are shaped and fashioned by what we love. I respect the man who knows distinctly what he wishes. The greater part of all mischief in the world arises from the fact that men do not sufficiently understand their own aims. They have undertaken to build a tower, and spend no more labor on the foundation than would be necessary to erect a hut. If your treat an individual ... as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be. Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world. Continue to make the demands of the day your immediate concern, and take occasion to test the purity of your hearts and the steadfastness of your spirits. When you then take a deep breath and rise above the cares of this world and in an hour of leisure, you will surely win the proper frame of mind to face devoutly what is above us, with reverence, seeing in all events the manifestation of a higher guidance. Men show their character in nothing more clearly than by what they think laughable. I find the great thing in this world is, not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. | 
