This is the merit and distinction of art: to be more real than reality, to be not nature but nature's essence.

Art must anchor in nature, or it is the sport of every breath of folly.

A man with a briefcase can steal millions more than any man with a gun.

Man's chief merit consists in resisting the impulses of his nature

The great merit of gold is precisely that it is scarce; that its quantity is limited by nature; that it is costly to discover, to mine, and to process; and that it cannot be created by political fiat or caprice.

I do not want art for a few any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few.