My first public impression was my French teacher Derek Swift.

Modern science then so far from being an enemy of romance is seen on every hand to be its sympathetic and resourceful friend its swift and irresistible helper in its serious need and an indulgent minister to its lighter fancies.

Today's preoccupation with physical theories of everything takes a wrong turn from the purpose of science - to question all things relentlessly. Modern physics has become like Swift's kingdom of Laputa flying absurdly on an island above the earth and indifferent to what is beneath.

Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket.

Whatever efforts for peace President Gorbachev had in mind they were pretty substantially undercut very swiftly by Saddam Hussein.

Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love make haste to be kind.

Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness.

Thought is subversive and revolutionary destructive and terrible Thought is merciless to privilege established institutions and comfortable habit. Thought is great and swift and free.

Another hero was Tom Swift in the books. What he stood for the freedom the scientific knowledge and being and engineer gave him the ability to invent solutions to problems. He's always been a hero to me. I buy old Tom Swift books now and read them to my own children.

Time is too slow for those who wait too swift for those who fear too long for those who grieve too short for those who rejoice but for those who love time is eternity.