Friends are not a number. You can't collect connections. You can't just go out one day and be like, "Hey, I need some friends!" *goes shopping, scours social media*

I would rather have 1 amazing best friend than 100 decent regular friends. It's not about quantity, it's about quality.

Add your splash of color to the world.

Ranking where people stand in your life and who they are to you helps you determine who you value the most and therefore where best to spend your time.

It allows you to be yourself, good and bad. And it's a two-way street: you give and take equally.

I grew it - sorry, drew it - for this book, if for no other reason than to illustrate the old saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Now, four years out of high school, I'm in an environment where people appreciate personality over appearance, and that makes me happy.

Some call it growing up. I call it life, and in my experience, it doesn't necessarily get easier over the years. But the eternal struggle is beautiful, and I'm happy to persevere.

I think I've lived quite the unorthodox life so far, but you probably feels that way about yourself too. So much goes untold in our lives.

It's funny reading about how I behaved in the days before memories formed. So thanks for that input, Mom and Dad - wasn't so bad after all.

Every second seems like an eternity if someone you love is in trouble.

You must be careful not to deprive the poem of its wild origin.

One can only describe the human but can never define it because humans are complex in their nature.

Moderation sees itself as beautiful

Writing is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.

You’re worried about what-ifs. Well, what if you stopped worrying?

I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong.

Pigs are very intelligent. They're very misunderstood. Yet they're sort of man's unofficial best friend.

A networker likes to meet people. I don't. I like accomplishing things in the world. You meet people when you want to accomplish something.

The aging and declining population will have far-reaching impacts. Declining fertility rates will possibly increase immigration. The structure of family and society will inevitably change.