“It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out; it's the grain of sand in your shoe.”

On how small irritations drain more energy than large challenges · Aphorism or conversation (as commonly attributed)

• Endurance
• Life
• Problems

“Shirk responsibility—that's my philosophy. I do feel a sense of responsibility to the poor, but I don't want to go beyond writing a check.”

Preferring quiet support over public engagement or self-importance · Interview or conversation (New Yorker profile)

• Humility
• Independence
• Responsibility

“I am an average sort of person who doesn't take anything seriously, least of all himself.”

A modest, self-deprecating view of character and work · Letter, 1925

• Humour
• Modesty
• Self