People have been starving for intellectual fodder, but the best way to get people to close their eyes and not say anything is to tell them that they're not smart enough to comprehend.

Jazz is like a telescope, and a lot of other music is like a microscope.

I've had experiences where people say, 'I hated jazz before I heard you guys!' I'm like, 'You didn't hate jazz before you heard us, you hated the idea of jazz.'

I used to play until 4 o'clock in the morning.My dad would go nuts - he'd scream and say the cops are gonna come and break our instruments.

Regret is a painful thing. Few people understand that there are three important things that leave us and can never return. Words. Time. Opportunity. These are things we can never get back.

Genuine equality means not treating everyone the same, but attending equally to everyone’s different needs.

Yes, I was really good in physics and in math.

If I had, say, a tall, amateur male lead living on the campus of a rural college (Six Years), the next book might feature a short, cop who lives in the heart of Manhattan (Missing You).

Stick with the people who love you and don’t spend a single second on the rest. Life will be better that way.

Confidence shared is better than confidence only in yourself.

Imagine blocks and blocks of no cocaine, blocks with no gun play.

A sweet disorder in the dress Kindles in clothes a wantonness A lawn about the shoulders thrown Into a fine distraction.

A family's photograph album is generally about the extended family and, often, is all that remains of it.

If we make mistakes, as we all do - don't run from God, run to Him.