A commonwealth is said to be instituted when a multitude of men do agree， and covenant， every one， with every one， that to whatsoever man， or assembly of men， shall be given by the major part， the right to present the person of them all， that is to say， to be their representative.

So what I want to argue for is not that we should give up on our ideas of success, but we should make sure that they are our own. We should focus in on our ideas, and make sure that we own them; that we are truly the authors of our own ambitions. Because it's bad enough not getting what you want, but it's even worse to have an idea of what it is you want, and find out, at the end of the journey, that it isn't, in fact, what you wanted all along.

2006年：贝索斯致股东信《选择新业务时，亚马逊的经验》

Happiness is beneficial for the body, but it is grief that develops the powers of the mind.

想法比物体更重要。

There is no way you can live an adequate life without making mistakes.