В.Брумель "Не измени себе", А.Хейли "Аэропорт", Б.Пастернак "Доктор Живаго", М.Митчелл "Унесенные ветром", Х. Хоссейни "Бегущий за ветром", весь Достоевский

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
(с) T. Roosevelt

You have to understand who you are, know what you’re capable of and what you’re not, and then try to construct a game—or a deal or a campaign—in which your superior qualities will be factors and your disadvantages will not be displayed. //
Remember that no matter how much time you spend in preparation, at the end of the day your key decisions will be made under time pressure, which means you’ll act on your gut feelings. If you’re defensive, you won’t be able to make an attacking move. At the climax you don’t go against your nature. So make sure to play your own game. The person who’s more skillful in creating the right environment will be triumphant.
(c) H. Kasparov

...But Paris was very old and we were young and nothing was simple there, not even poverty, nor sudden money, nor the moonlight, nor right and wrong, nor the breathing of someone who lay beside you in the moonlight.
(c) Hemingway

Trust your heart if the seas catch fire, live by love though the stars walk backward.
(c) Cummings