If I work incessantly to the last, nature owes me another form of existence when the present one collapses.

Live each day as if your life had just begun.

Correction does much, but encouragement does more.

We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.

Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and, if possible, speak a few sensible words.

The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. Whatever you think you can do, or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, power and grace.

Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.

At the moment of commitment the entire universe conspires to assist you.

Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success.

If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.

There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.

[Jo to her mother] I knew there was mischief brewing. I felt it and now it's worse than I imagined. I just wish I could marry Meg myself, and keep her safe in the family.

Biography is the only true history.

I put on a big show when I write something I think is funny.

One cannot say of something that it is and that it is not in the same respect at the same time.

Martin King was fundamentally committed to the least of these [poor, working people]. Of course, he was a Christian soldier for justice from the 25th chapter of Matthew.

My major aim was to shape a book which would make its own comment, a wordless statement: to talk through the way it was shaped.

Death was not to be a leap: it was to be a long descent under thickening shadows.

I've always been frightened of karaoke, so I've never tried it. Karaoke scares the hell out of me!

Life is the external text, the burning bush by the edge of the path from which God speaks.

A cat pours his body on the floor like water. It is restful just to see him.