Those who rhapsodize about the ease and joy of childhood have perhaps forgotten what it's like to be 12 years old.

She felt everything too deeply, it was like the world was too much for her.

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too.

A person who deserves my loyalty receives it.

The big dramas that fascinate me are the quiet ones that happen behind closed doors in so-called ordinary families.

The painter who feels obligated to depict his subjects as uniformly beautiful or handsome and without flaws will fall short of making art.

At Home in the World is the story of a young woman, raised in some difficult circumstances, and how she survives. It tells a story of redemption, not victimhood.

To share our stories is not only a worthwhile endeavor for the storyteller, but for those who hear our stories and feel less alone because of it.

My job is writing. I get paid to do it. When was the last time you heard someone challenge a doctor for making money off of cancer?

The portrait of my parents is a complicated one, but lovingly drawn.

Before I had children I always wondered whether their births would be, for me, like the ultimate in gym class failures. And I discovered instead... that I'd finally found my sport.

I didn't want to sing.I wanted to be music.

You should have seen him, ” she said. “A real ladies’ man. Stuff in his hair. Dark glasses. Fancy shoes. He had no idea how funny he looked. I much prefer men with ordinary shoes and honest trousers.

I don't have to look up my family tree, because I know that I'm the sap.

It's not what you did, but what you could have done if you allowed the Lord to work His will in your life.

Wearing all that weight Of learning lightly like a flower.

These shoes are Mr Silly's shoes, Scott.

The Opera reminds me of my tax audit. It was in a language I didn’t understand. And it ended in tragedy.

I am sure as I grow older I will understand more about my own feelings and how to put them in a song.

There's nothing wrong with having a 9-to-5 job, but figure out a way to have another stream of income.

It is security that I crave and money provides security. What is that old line about money? "Some is good, more is better and too much is just right."