I've never written nearly as much about place as people seem to think I do. I just write about class.

At the risk of appearing disingenuous, I don't really think of myself as 'writing humor.' I'm simply reporting on the world I observe, which is frequently hilarious.

And there comes a time in your life when you realize that if you don't take the opportunity to be happy, you may never get another chance again.

People sometimes get in the habit of being loyal to a mistake.

You use simple brushstrokes in a screenplay for things over which you would take much greater pains in a novel.

Have you ever noticed that when people use the expression 'I have to say', what follows usually needn't be said?

What if all everybody needed in the world was to be sure of one friend? What if you were the one, and you refused to say those simple words?

My books are elegiac in the sense that they're odes to a nation that even I sometimes think may not exist anymore except in my memory and my imagination.

Worse, I have to admit to feeling the jealousy of one crab for another that has managed to climb out of the barrel.

Bookstores, like libraries, are the physical manifestation of the wide world's longest, most thrilling conversation.

I was the one who did come through that door. You were the one she was waiting for.

The Lord of my life, who calls me to be brave and walk into the unknown, amazing future. I am always awed by the wonder of you.

What?" I asked, the word coming out much softer than I'd intended. Not quite a whisper, but close."Nothing. Just glad we ended up here, all of us, together.

When I started out as a little kid, I didn't say 'I just want to run football.' I wanted to be a great athlete.

Aladdin's lamp is mine.

In an environment in which tragedy is genuine and frequent, laughter is essential to sanity.

Being rich ain't what it's cracked up to be. It's just worry and worry, and sweat and sweat, and a-wishing you was dead all the time.

If you live real good, I can guarantee you are gonna get beat up real bad!

A horrible script 99 percent of the time means a horrible movie. But if you start with a good script, odds are you're going to have a good movie.

Loving-kindness and compassion are the basis for wise, powerful, sometimes gentle, and sometimes fierce actions that can really make a difference - in our own lives and those of others.

Always remember... How you handle obstacles will always be a key factor in determining your ability to achieve success.