“… the waiters carried themselves with a quiet joy, as if their entire mission in life was to make their customers feel comfortable and well tended.”

“It's the great mystery of human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet tender joy.”

“To establish a place of work where engineers can feel the joy of technological innovation, be aware of their mission to society, and work to their heart's content.”

“Well, isn’t Bohemia a place where everyone is as good as everyone else — and must not a waiter be a little less than a waiter to be a good Bohemian?”

“With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things.”

“There is real comfort in being quiet.”

“There are writers who exist to confirm people's feelings about themselves and to make them feel comforted or not alone. That's the opposite to what I do. I'm presenting people with unacceptable or hostile characters, and my desire is to make them understood.”

“People leave traces of themselves where they feel most comfortable, most worthwhile.”

“… Hardly. A ragged apron does not a waiter make.”

“Life is a mission, not a career. A career is a profession, a mission is a cause. A career asks, What's in it for me? A mission asks, How can I make a difference?”