Quotes from Norman Cousins

We will not have peace by afterthought.

A book is like a piece of rope; it takes on meaning only in connection with the things it holds together.

Although a man may have no jurisdiction over the fact of his existence, he can hold supreme command over the meaning of existence for him.

Man is not imprisoned by habit. Great changes in him can be wrought by crisis - once that crisis can be recognized and understood.

What a man really says when he says that someone else can be persuaded by force, is that he himself is incapable of more rational means of communication.

The poet reminds men of their uniqueness and it is not necessary to possess the ultimate definition of this uniqueness. Even to speculate is a gain.

Nothing is more powerful than an individual acting out their conscience, thus helping bring the collective conscience to life.

Of all the gifts bestowed by nature on human beings, hearty laughter must be close to the top.

War is an invention of the human mind. The human mind can invent peace.

We have learned to live in a world of mistakes and defective products as if they were necessary to life. It is time to adopt a new philosophy in America.

Laughter is a powerful way to tap positive emotions

A human being fashions his consequences as surely as he fashions his goods or his dwelling. Nothing that he says thinks or does is without consequences.

Government in the U.S. today is a senior partner in every business in the country.

Laughter is a form of internal jogging. It moves your internal organs around. It enhances respiration. It is an igniter of great expectations.

Laughter is inner jogging.

It is reasonable to expect the doctor to recognize that science may not have all the answers to problems of health and healing.

Hearty laughter is a good way to jog internally without having to go outdoors.

History is a vast early warning system.

History is an accumulation of error.

An adequate share of humor and laughter represents an essential part of the diet of the healthy person.

No one really knows enough to be a pessimist.

Optimism doesn't wait on facts. It deals with prospects. Pessimism is a waste of time.

Time given to thought is the greatest time saver of all.

Second only to freedom, learning is the most precious option on earth.