It was the silent time before dawn, along the shores of what had been — James A. Michener

"On a bleak wintry morning some years ago I was summoned to the office of our naval attache at the American embassy in Kabul."

"The chief character in this narrative is the Caribbean Sea, one of the worlds most alluring bodies of water, a rare gem among the oceans, defined by the islands that form a chain of lovely jewels to the north and east."

"I was surprised when shortly after New Years Day of 1983, the Governor of Texas summoned me to his office, because I hadnt been aware that he knew I was in town."

"If you type adeptly with 10 fingers, you’re typing faster than your mind is working."

"When you seek, you find things you did not anticipate."

"In 1948 I addressed some students at Washington and Lee University, and in the question-answer period one young man observed with asperity, "But its easy for you to write. Youve traveled."

"In the life of the mass-order, the culture of the generality tends to conform to the demands of the average human being. Spirituality decays through being diffused among the masses when knowledge is impoverished in every possible way by rationalisation until it becomes accessible to the crude understanding of all."

"I say this to you because we Spaniards are a forgetful people, because we are used to living for the moment, because we do not look back, because we do not know how to see the chain of heroes, because we do not contemplate the sum of sacrifices."

"Sharon Tate was my best friend. Once, we were roommates. She introduced me to my husband. She was the godmother to my baby daughter who is named for her. In the six years time that I knew her, she never said an unkind word about anyone."

"Long time to see. (VS: Tapion)"

"Most mathematicians prove what they can, von Neumann proves what he wants." Once in a discussion about the rapid growth of mathematics in modern times, von Neumann was heard to remark that whereas thirty years ago a mathematician could grasp all of mathematics, that is impossible today. Someone asked him: "What percentage of all mathematics might a person aspire to understand today?" Von Neumann went into one of his five-second thinking trances, and said: "About 28 percent."

"Children must be free to think in all directions irrespective of the peculiar ideas of parents who often seal their childrens minds with preconceived prejudices and false concepts of past generations. Unless we are very careful, very careful indeed, and very conscientious, there is still great danger that our children may turn out to be the same kind of people we are."