"Sometimes I wish that applause would come just a bit later, when it is so beautifully hushed that I feel like holding my breath in the silence of the end." — Emanuel Ax, Polish-American pianist, born 1949
"It seems that I have spent my entire life trying to make life more rational and that it was all wasted effort." — A. J. Ayer, English philosopher, born 1910
"I believe that if a man dies with a single penny still sitting in the bank, he's a fool." — Dan Aykroyd, Canadian comedian, born 1952
"No amount of prayer or meditation can do what helping others can do." — Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master, born 1894
"Light can penetrate any amount of darkness but no amount of darkness can penetrate light." — Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master, born 1894
"No iron can pierce the heart with such force as a period put just at the right place." — Isaac Babel, Russian writer, born 1894
"I put my career in second place throughout both my marriages and it suffered. I don't regret it. You make choices. If you want a good marriage, you must pay attention to that. If you want to be independent, go ahead. You can't have it all." — Lauren Bacall, American actress, born 1924
"The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." — Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer, born 1685
"I play the notes as they are written, but it is God who makes the music." — Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer, born 1865
"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly." — Richard Bach, American writer, born 1936
"To fly as fast as thought, you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived." — Richard Bach, American author, born 1936