The very persons who have taken away my time and space are those who have given me something to say.

The name we give to something shapes our attitude toward it.

To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.

It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading.

Peace is not won by those who fiercely guard their differences, but by those who with open minds and hearts seek out connections.

I love revision. Where else can spilled milk be turned into ice cream?

As much pleasure as young people get from Twittering and texting, there is no way these activities will nourish their minds and spirits the way literature can.

Reading can be a road to freedom or a key to a secret garden, which, if tended, will transform all of life.

As I look back on what I have written, I can see that the very persons who have taken away my time are those who have given me something to say.

Some folks are natural born kickers. They can always find a way to turn disaster into butter.

I love to read. But I loved to read a lot longer than I started to love writing.

How is it called freedom if it is limited by those with a history of oppressing you?

I may have power but I do not have strength.

A man does not know how he came by the half a pie he is holding in his hand!

I want to board a train, and leave my books behind. I want to be so caught up in writing about the journey, that I forget that fiction & fact are not the same. The destination does not signify.

The hardest for man is lie to himself between 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning.

To avail yourself of His certain wisdom ask of Him whatever questions you have. But do not entreat Him for that will never be necessary.

A revolution that is based on the people exercising their creativity in the midst of devastation is one of the great historical contributions of humankind.

For me, jazz will always be the soundtrack of the civil rights movement.

Before you can write a novel you have to have a number of ideas that come together. One idea is not enough.

I am a figure skater, which helps me appreciate Newton's theory of mechanics.