The woman who is my best friend, my teacher, my everything: Mom.

This journey has nourished my soul in a way I couldn't have imagined.

Guilt: it comes in so many subtle forms. It's carbon monoxide for the soul.

Life is to BIG that I'm suddenly overcome by the highs and lows of it.

With each stride, I realize I'm not so emotionally overwhelmed anymore. A sense of purpose and fulfillment has replaced my feelings of helplessness.

The real me: A woman who continues to blossom into her authentic self.

Have greater compassion and empathy for others, and don't judge anyone, because you have no idea what's going on in their life.

Be brave. You didn't travel this far to languish within the walls of your comfortable self.

Perspective is so interesting. The smallest thing becomes pleasurable when troubles are monumental.

If only I lived in a perpetual state of awareness for the infinite daily blessings I'm given.

Nobody gets through life without facing challenges. What's important is how we handle them. Tough times can be excellent opportunities to grow and become a better person.

Yeah, right. Instead of watching TV, we'll practice our weird magical powers. Great. What's next? Zooming around on flying carpets?

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

Trying to know God and serve Him before we come to love Him is exhausting.

One should either be sad or joyful. Contentment is a warm sty for eaters and sleepers.

With luck, a writer capable of producing both Slouching Towards Kalamazoo and The Blood of the Lamb will not remain unappreciated for long.

[To reporter who telephoned with news of her Oscar:] If you are joking me, I will get up immediately and kill you wherever you are.

I've been writing fiction as long as I've been writing poetry. It's just that the poetry took off, and it took me a lot longer to figure out how to write a story.

Will something else. Have dreams and believe in them. They don't have to come true. They are just as true as a dream is. Life itself is a dream.

If we are attacked we can only defend ourselves with guns not with butter.

What I like about singing is that, for me, it's a substitute for the psychiatrist's couch.