It isn't until you forgive what's in the past that you'll be able to receive the gift of the present

Much of your success in life is determined by how you choose to act in spite of how you feel.

When I was 19 years old, both of my parents died in the same year; my mom of cancer and my dad in a car accident. Through the next two or three years and a series of bad decisions - all my own, I might add - I ended up literally homeless, before that was even a word. I even slept occasionally under a pier on the Gulf Coast.

It's a lot more interesting to learn and discover real-life principles when they are revealed in the form of a story.

Even a small amount of perspective can change our lives. Because even the smallest amount of perspective can change how we are able to navigate hard times.

It is not enough to recognize what is right and true. One must control the impulse to do what is wrong and easy.

We have to prepare our teenagers and our children for a world away from us. That requires explanations. That requires understanding.