Quotes from Sam Torode

You've flaunted my authority, coddled that boy, and let him do as he pleases.

Resolve to know the laws of nature. Follow them in all circumstances; let them shape you; be guided by their perfect wisdom. —Epictetus, Greek philosopher

Texas's main exports are cotton, oil, and preachers. Why

Cicadas," Craw said. "Also known as locusts. Or, as John the Baptist would say, lunch." I

I opened the most recent letter. The fool scheme in question was Dr. Pepper soda. "Dad—it says here that your original investment of twelve dollars is now worth fifteen thousand." I dropped the letter in amazement.

She must have been French, because she had more hair under her arm than I did. 

My life seemed like a speck of dust in comparison to the universe.

every woman is a vessel of beauty, life, and love—though most don't know it. And all the forces of evil in the world are dead-set against her. That's why loving a woman is the hardest battle you'll ever face. Love isn't going to fall into your lap—you've got to fight for it.

Lester was the obvious choice for pastor, I guess, since he'd sired half the congregation.

I was used to hiding magazines inside my Bible so I'd have something to read during Father's sermons. I never would have dreamed that someday I'd be doing it the other way around.

The soul cannot be intellectually grasped or scientifically examined, Emerson insisted; it can only be felt, loved, and enjoyed. Through our individual souls, we have direct access to the universal soul—God.

Hosea was the prophet whom God commanded to marry a prostitute.

In Sunday school, they made it sound like the women of the Bible were a bunch of pious schoolmarms—but nothing could be further from the truth.

The two greatest men who ever lived—Jesus and Socrates—were both hoboes." It

Warm weather pampers a body," he'd say. "But winter mortifies the flesh and invigorates the soul. There's nothing like a brisk, biting wind to fend off gluttony and lust." I could see his point: it's hard to fornicate when your balls are frostbitten. +

Stoicism doesn't mean repressing emotion and shunning pleasure, I learned, but—in essence—focusing on what is in our power and letting go of everything we can't control.

Take Tamar, for instance. She disguises herself as a harlot and sleeps with her own father-in-law, just to prove what a hypocrite he is.

When Ruth spots a man she likes, she gets him drunk, strips off his clothes, and hops into bed with him. When he wakes up the next morning, he has no choice but to marry her. And

These women were Jesus' great-grandmothers!

The soul discerns what is true, independent of any tradition, institution, or book. Our religions are storehouses of secondhand insights, useful for inspiration but harmful when substituted for firsthand communion with the divine soul.  To the religiously devout, this may seem like a dangerous, revolutionary idea. But really, the truth of the soul is the oldest of revelations.

we can't see are the only things that make life worth living.

point me in the right direction. I rang the

In every age," he said, "in every time and place, there are those who live on the margins of civilization. Outcasts, wanderers, searchers, hoboes—call them what you will. They stand outside of society, living by their own code. Knights of the road.

Socrates—were