Rupa Gupta

“Resting on what's considered great has always been a recipe for decline. I remember touring Rome with a guide who pointed out one marvelous achievement after another of the first Roman emperor, Augustus. Augustus was said to have inherited a city of brick and left a city of marble, with twelve entrances on twelve hills. He built nearly a thousand glorious new structures - bridges, buildings, monuments, and aqueducts. As we marveled at the remnants of Augustus's grand designs, our guide exclaimed with pride that this era marked the pinnacle of Rome's greatness.
What came next?' I asked.
After an awkward silence, the guide said, 'Slow ruin.”
― Robert K. Cooper

“Angels walk among us,
Sometimes the only thing we may not see are the wings upon their backs.”
― Molly Friedenfeld

“Courage is the mother of all virtues because without it, you cannot consistently perform the others.”
― Aristotle

“In the face of pain there are no heroes.”
― George Orwell, 1984