Colette

“What we do not pay for in some way, unfortunately we tend not to regard in its true worth.” She smiled to soften the words a little. Jemima frowned. “Do you not think sometimes we value a thing merely because we have paid for it?” she asked. “And perhaps paid too much? And so we cling to it, and go on paying?”
― Anne Perry, Callander Square

“Wizards had always known that the act of observation changed the thing that was observed, and sometimes forgot that it also changed the observer too.”
― Terry Pratchett

“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you.”
― Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Luxury always comes at someone else’s expense. One of the many advantages of civilization is that one doesn’t generally have to see that, if one doesn’t wish. You’re free to enjoy its benefits without troubling your conscience.”
― Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice