My folks were country music performers. They made records and even did a few tours with the Grand Ole Opry. There always were a lot of guitarists around.

I started playing jazz by slowing down Tal Farlow records and analyzing his runs

I also became inspired by impressionist painters such as Renoir, and wanted to do the same sort of thing with music-portray whatever mood strikes me the way Keith Jarrett does on piano.

I’ll always be a student, because I think of music as never ending.

A successful person allows his results to speak for him, not his mouth.

Some people are doomed from birth because their environment is so toxic.

Israel does not respect the principles or purposes of the United Nations charter nor the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Once you get a character, you lock it in your heart - it's there.

I think just because life is hard, it does seem fun to have a break and laugh about things, so I think in the end, my instincts go there.

Who can wait quietly until the mud settles? Who can remain still until the moment of action?

Leaders should be able to Stand Alone, Take the Heat, Bear the Pain, Tell the Truth, and Do What's Right

I'm always surprised when large numbers of people buy my books.

War should belong to the tragic past, to history: it should find no place on humanity's agenda for the future.

I earned the name from the Greek god Zelos who is the god of rivalry.