Nothing in the world is harder than speaking the truth and nothing easier than flattery. If there’s the hundredth part of a false note in speaking the truth, it leads to a discord, and that leads to trouble. But if all, to the last note, is false in flattery, it is just as agreeable, and is heard not without satisfaction. It may be a coarse satisfaction, but still a satisfaction. And however coarse the flattery, at least half will be sure to seem true. That’s so for all stages of development and classes of society. Crime And Punishment

The sun is the width of a human foot. Fragments

One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. The Counterfeiters

All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. Quotes from Atomic Habits by James Clear Atomic Habits