Every man walks his own path, and every path has its fair share of locked doors. You never know who holds the key to a door you’ll need to open one day, so you best treat people as if they are all keyholders.

We are not slaves of the past, nor servants of the present, but masters of the future.

Where excess lies, usually someone had to give something up for the other to get it.

Greed robs you of more value than the price of what you've gained.

Emperors are not made from cowards; they are made from those who take great risk where there stands to be even greater gain.

Remain open-minded, even when you believe yourself to be a king among peasants. You never know what blessings can be gained or crises averted just by listening.

A good leader must have the wisdom to know when a pursuit is no longer worthy of being pursued - a time when the losses of the present must be accepted - and cut - to preserve the gains and providence of the future.

[Everything you write is] not simply a collection of words, but a means of influence not to be taken lightly. Let your recipient's emotions be the gondola, and your words, its gondolier.