Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.

I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.

Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.

The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.

Oh, brothers! I don't care for brothers. My elder brother won't die, and my younger brothers seem never to do anything else.

If a man treats life artistically, his brain is his heart.

What fire does not destroy, it hardens

All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril.

Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives.

Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.

The basis of optimism is sheer terror.

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.

There are three choices in this life: be good, get good, or give up.

I find it hard to deliver straightforward things.

I don't listen to a lot of radio today. It's not really music to me.

Painting doesn't mean just describing; it's a state of spirit.

Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else's can shorten it.

Always before, I just said no, left it solidly there. I waver now. I want to share everything with him. Want to know what he knows, feel what he feels, share the same space he's in.

Touch screen voting is a fine thing so long as they have a voter verified paper trail.

In the '60s, my father, Wally Amos, had been a talent agent and a personal manager before taking a major career detour in 1975, when he opened a store selling chocolate chip cookies.

God, show me how to pray in a way that will make a difference in this child’s life.