E.B. White achieved fame as the author of beloved children’s books such as “Charlotte’s Web” and “Stuart Little.” This quote, said in a 1969 “Paris Review” interview as somewhat of a retort to his editor, also reflects his plain and straightforward writing style. It is as clear as it is acerbic, pragmatic as it is punchy. Though White was talking about his own life as a writer, he also gave us an inspiring and motivating no-nonsense quip for the ages.

Transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote often about the primacy of the natural world, self-reliance, and healthy living. This quote comes from his 1841 essay “Heroism,” which explores the carefree nature of sport and the important role it plays in health, both physically and mentally. Emerson believed that playfulness was a crucial characteristic of great and “heroic” people. As he wrote, “The great will not condescend to take any thing seriously; all must be as gay as the song of a canary.”  

This immortal advice from the Bard appears in the first scene of Shakespeare’s play “Henry VIII.” When the Duke of Buckingham expresses dislike for a character he thinks is manipulating the king, the Duke of Norfolk cautions him to proceed carefully and not to let his anger best him. Hundreds of years later, this suggestion is still a good one for all of us to take to heart. Hasty action rarely leads to successful results; in stepping back from a situation and pausing to think, we gain insight and perspective that can help us choose the smartest course.

Lou Andreas-Salomé’s life was characterized by her pursuit of knowledge and her desire to live life to its fullest. In her 75 years, the 19th-century Russian German writer and intellectual maintained close friendships with some of the most influential figures of the time, such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud, and she is now credited as the world’s first female psychoanalyst. By all accounts, she was not one to wait for gifts to be handed out. When she saw something she wanted, she went after it. 

To Albert Einstein's consternation, his son Eduard was a big fan of Sigmund Freud. He had a portrait of the psychoanalyst hung over his bed, and at the age of 15 would often quote Freud offhand to his friends. It was no secret that Albert disapproved of his son's enthusiasm. So when Eduard fell into a brutal depression and attempted to treat himself by means of psychoanalysis, his father gently suggested a more practical approach: "How beneficial a job would be for you," Einstein wrote in the same 1930 letter to his son where this quote appears. Today, talk therapy — that contemporary descendant of Freudian analysis — is not generally understood to be in conflict with Einstein's advice. Indeed many contemporary therapists might see Einstein's encouragement that his son “keep balance” and "keep moving" as therapeutic ideas themselves.

Madame de Sévigné, a 17th-century French aristocrat, was an iconic literary figure in France thanks to her prolific letters — most of which were addressed to her daughter, but became public during her lifetime. Sévigné’s daughter often read the letters aloud, whether alone or in company. Her mother knew this, and so crafted many of her missives with public performance in mind. Her writing was vivid and witty, and so the letters were copied and circulated in high society. Her subjects were wide-ranging and often humorous. Her views on marriage, for example, were succinct: “Matrimony is a very dangerous disorder; I had rather drink.” But she was also profound. “There is no real evil in life, except great pain,” she once wrote to her daughter. “All the rest is merely imaginary, and depends on the light in which we view things.”