Miguel de Cervantes

"To withdraw is not to run away, and to stay is no wise action, when there's more reason to fear than to hope."

"There is also this benefit in brag, that the speaker is unconsciously expressing his own ideal. Humor him by all means, draw it all out, and hold him to it."

"To be prepared is half the victory."

"In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd."