Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.

But it was the singing that pulled me in and split me wide open.

Jealousy is such a direct attack on whatever measure of confidence you’ve been able to muster. But if you continue to write, you are probably going to have to deal with it, because some wonderful, dazzling successes are going to happen for some of the most awful, angry, undeserving writers you know-people who are, in other words, not you.

Some people may have thought that this book was too personal, too confessional. But what these people think about me is none of my business.

And she is going to dance, dance hungry, dance full, dance each cold astonishing moment, now when she is young and again when she is old.

I just try to love and serve everyone, and bring everyone water, and lend an ear; that's what Jesus said to do.

Clutter and mess show us that life is being lived...Tidiness makes me think of held breath, of suspended animation... Perfectionism is a mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are the artist's true friend. What people somehow forgot to mention when we were children was that we need to make messes in order to find out who we are and why we are here.