"Let us ask the gods not for possessions, but for things to do; happiness is in making things rather than in consuming them. In Utopia, said Thoreau, each would build his own home; and then song would come back to the heart of man, as it comes to the bird when it builds its nest. If we cannot build our homes, we can at least walk and throw and run;... See more

Art critic and writer Robert Hughes reminds us that the closer you get to excellence, the more you notice what is missing:

"The greater the artist, the greater the doubt; perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize."