.. All you know is your parents telling you that you're not deserving, you're not worthy, and no one will ever want you. Believe me, tapes like that play so loud, you can't hear anything else. Even when it's clear otherwise.

Never lend your car keys to someone you gave birth to.

Not all forms of abuse leave bruises.

I don't buy trends, because the pieces don't last and I wind up never wearing them. That's why I like to shop with my children; they'll always tell me the truth.

I try to give people hope. Even though life is bleak, there's hope out there.

It's difficult to talk to people... I walk into a room and I'm Danielle Steel, and whatever I say is going to be taken apart.

Who doesn't need hope in their lives: hope that something can change, that someone cares, that not only bad things happen unexpectedly but good things can happen to us too?