I talk too much because I have been made so miserable by what you are keeping hushed.

A man is whole only when he takes into account his shadow.

I am not a critic; to me criticism is so often nothing more than the eye garrulously denouncing the shape of the peephole that gives access to hidden treasure.

Time is a great conference planning our end, and youth is only the past putting a leg forward.

The unendurable is the beginning of the curve of joy.

The priceless galaxy of misinformation called the mind.

Our bones ache only while the flesh is on them.

New York is the meeting place of the peoples, the only city where you can hardly find a typical American.

The heart of the jealous knows the best and most satisfying love, that of the other's bed, where the rival perfects the lover's imperfections.

I have been loved,' she said, 'by something strange, and it has forgotten me.

This head has risen above its hair in a moment of abandon known only to men who have drawn their feet out of their boots to walk awhile in the corridors of the mind.

Man needs the mercy of his Maker.

Curious things, habits. People themselves never knew they had them. [Witness for the Prosecution, also published in The Hound of Death and Other Stories.]

No soul can be forever banned, Eternally bereft, Whoever falls from God's right hand Is caught into his left.

The challenging part of parenting is to stick to your ideals and not give in.

The world turns softly Not to spill its lakes and rivers, The water is held in its arms And the sky is held in the water. What is water, That pours silver, And can hold the sky?

Giving up and doing something else (nursing, for me) was exactly what eventually led me to making music that other people wanted to hear.

White people really deal more with God and black people with Jesus.

Kids are the best part of my day. I don't wake up to make movies. I wake up to hang out with my family.

George W. Bush broke a mold four years ago: Even though he lost the popular vote, he governed as if he had won by acclamation.

Having the capacity to lead is not enough. The leader must be willing to use it.