To forget oneself-to lose oneself in the music, in the moment- that kind of absorption seems to be at the heart of every creative endeavor.

Everything you need to know about life can be learned from a genuine and ongoing attempt to write

Think of a ballet dancer at the barre. Plie, eleve, battement tendu. She is practicing, because she knows that there is no difference between practice and art. The practice is the art.

The writer’s life requires courage, patience, empathy, openness. It requires the ability to be alone with oneself. Gentle with oneself. To be disciplined, and at the same time, take risks.

We are currently facing countless hurdles and obstacles, BUT will never lose the sight of infinite hope.

Indeed, he seemed utterly unaware of his effect on the boys around him.

The friend is the person whom one is in need of and by whom one is needed.

I believe that we have to lift the voice without fear and simply go forward, because in a lot of other occasions, we got tired, we have lowered the arms and simply let everything happen.

It's interesting, gender versus race. I think people say that to women more: 'Oh, you're my favorite female.' They wouldn't say 'favorite black comic.'

No matter how well a person writes, a successful book is a team effort involving many, many people.

I think I hate cynicism more than anything else. It's the curse of our age, and I want to avoid it at all costs.

Do you guys have any raw garlic?

Man is fed with fables through life, and leaves it in the belief he knows something of what has been passing, when in truth he knows nothing but what has passed under his own eyes.

How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year!