Each death and departure comes to us as a surprise, a sorrow never anticipated. Life is a long series of farewells; only the circumstances should surprise us.

A broken bone can heal, but the wound a word opens can fester forever.

Talent is helpful in writing, but guts are absolutely necessary.

It is very easy to forgive others their mistakes; it takes more grit and gumption to forgive them for having witnessed your own.

A rattlesnake that doesn't bite teaches you nothing.

A religious awakening which does not awaken the sleeper to love has roused him in vain.

A taste for irony has kept more hearts from breaking than a sense of humor, for it takes irony to appreciate the joke which is on oneself.

If you train people properly, they won't be able to tell a drill from the real thing. If anything, the real thing will be easier.

People who keep journals have life twice

Nothing is so dear as what you're about to leave.

I've done more harm by the falseness of trying to please than by the honesty of trying to hurt.

Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never ever the same.

The secret protects itself. It is found only in the spirit and practice of the Work.

Forget about good. Good is a known quantity. Good is what we all agree on. As long as you stick to good, you'll never have real growth.

I want there to be tons and tons and tons and tons of movies starring women.

An answer is invariably the parent of a whole family of new questions.

The difficulty with telling stories about real people is you have to find a way of mixing yourself into the matter.

Your heroes will help you find good in yourself.

Youth is like a long weekend on Friday night. Middle age is like a long weekend on Monday afternoon.

We must seek ways to solve difficulties such as hatred, envy and jealousy.

Being the best right now doesn't do anything for my feathers.