“In my opinion, defining intelligence is much like defining beauty, and I don’t mean that it’s in the eye of the beholder. To illustrate, let’s say that you are the only beholder, and your word is final. Would you be able to choose the 1000 most beautiful women in the country? And if that sounds impossible, consider this: Say you’re now looking at your picks. Could you compare them to each other and say which one is more beautiful? For example, who is more beautiful— Katie Holmes or Angelina Jolie? How about Angelina Jolie or Catherine Zeta-Jones? I think intelligence is like this. So many factors are involved that attempts to measure it are useless. Not that IQ tests are useless. Far from it. Good tests work: They measure a variety of mental abilities, and the best tests do it well. But they don’t measure intelligence itself.”

“Success is achieved by developing our strengths, not by eliminating our weaknesses.”

“Be able to back up a car for a considerable distance in a straight line and back out of a driveway.”

“Have enough sense to know, ahead of time, when your skills will not extend to wallpapering.”

“Know how to travel from your town to a nearby town without a car, either by bus or by rail.”

“To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

“Know how to garnish food so that it is more appealing to the eye and even more flavorful than before.”

“A good idea will keep you awake during the morning, but a great idea will keep you awake during the night.”

“Teens think listening to music helps them concentrate. It doesn't. It relieves them of the boredom that concentration on homework induces.”

“Know the names of past and current artists who are most famous for playing their instruments.”

“Email, instant messaging, and cell phones give us fabulous communication ability, but because we live and work in our own little worlds, that communication is totally disorganized.”