By the time I have clarified a thought, I no longer want to think it.

Pain narrows consciousness; pleasure blurs it.

When Medusa looks in the mirror, she sees the Lady of Sorrows.

My passions have never jumped out of the fireplace and set fire to the carpet.

Retirement requires the invention of a new hedonism, not a return to the hedonism of youth

The sewing machine joins what the scissors have cut asunder, plus whatever else comes in its path.

Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story.

The laughter of the aphorism is sometimes triumphant, but seldom carefree.

'Be faithful to your roots' is the liberal version of 'Stay in your ghetto.'

Every day begins with an act of courage and hope: getting out of bed.

Totem poles and wooden masks no longer suggest tribal villages but fashionable drawing rooms in New York and Paris.

That's what death is, Danny thought: wanting to talk to someone and not being able to.

Fate lies down the path for those strong enough to walk it.

A line is like a role model, It contributes in straightening our focus.

Black Velvet in that little boys smile, Black Velvet with that slow southern style. A new religion that'll bring you to your knees.

In my old age I've come to find that if you respect other people, you feel better about yourself.

Beautiful rocks - beautiful grass Beautiful soil where they both combine Beautiful river - covering sky Never thought of possession, but all this was mine.

Of all natural forces, vitality is the incommunicable one. . . . Vitality never "takes." You have it or you haven't it, like health or brown eyes or a baritone voice.

I won the youth vote in Massachusetts and in California. I did very well with it in Ohio.

Even the busboys at the restaurants have a script to give you. Everybody is in the business.

Few artists are able to accurately assess just how valuable and great their work is - or how much it will be appreciated by its audience. In other words, insecurity is the name of the game.