There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.
If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots.
A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again. But a wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid the mistake altogether.
Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.
A person who has been punished is not thereby simply less inclined to behave in a given way; at best, he learns how to avoid punishment.
Always be ready to speak your mind and a base man will avoid you.
Don't bother about being modern. Unfortunately it is the one thing that, whatever you do, you cannot avoid.
I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.
Avoid the world, it's just a lot of dust and drag and means nothing in the end.
You can avoid reality, but you can't avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.
There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.
The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain.