It was the women of afghanistan, my mother believed, who-once they’d been granted access to books and education- would be the salvation of the country

If I'd waited until I was well rested to read, I never would have read anything.

I was learning that when you're with someone who is dying, you may need to celebrate the past, live the present, and mourn the future all at the same time.

That's one of the amazing things great books like this do - they don't just get you to see the world differently, they get you to look at people, the people all around you, differently.

I think it's because it shows that people--or hobbits, as the case may be--can find strength they didn't know they had.

...two different kinds of Japanese psychotherapies, one based on getting people to stop using feelings as an excuse for their actions and the other based on getting people to practice gratitude.

...mindfulness - it isn't a trick or a gimmick. It's being present in the moment. When I'm with you, I'm with you. Right now. That's all. No more and no less.

You can only do what you can, and what doesn't get done, just doesn't get done.

Oh, dear--did I forget to mention that you can, indeed, have it all, but you need a lot of help!

The thing about Americans, ” she said, “is that you’re very concerned about everything all the time.

The greatest gift you can give anyone is your undivided attention...

Merciful God!" sighed the General. "We've arrived." And it was true. For there was the sea, and on the other side of the sea was the world.

Daddy was hilarious. He could take the most mundane event and tell it so that we all on the floor laughing. He trained me in the joys of humor.

If there was less sympathy in the world, there would be less trouble in the world.

If you're going to be a wannabe, make sure you 'wannabe' something great. The most shocking thing about wannabes, is they largely want to be something irrelevant, vein, or just plain petty.

Fame puts you there where things are hollow.

In the old days, I just could not leave characters alone. Now I just try to keep the ones that still have something in the way of stories to tell.

Oh, I have a very pure soul. It's only my private parts that have gotten me into trouble".

I am so mad with love that mad men say to me - be still!

Oh, but Paris isn’t for changing planes, it’s… it’s for changing your outlook, for… for throwing open the windows and letting in… letting in la vie en rose.

Raise the stakes! Always push your luck because no one else would push it for you.