It's hard, Cotton. To let yourself love something you know you may never have.

As my father wrote, one's courage, hope, and spirit can be severely tried by the happenstance of life. But as I learned on this Virginia mountain, so long as one never loses faith, it is impossible to ever truly be alone.

Today might not be so good. But tomorrow, you got another chance to get it right.

Most people associate reading with laying on the beach. They don't see that it's crucial for a democracy!

Passion is a rare commodity. When you find it, treasure it and never give it up!

But if I worried too much about publishers' expectations, I'd probably paralyze myself and not be able to write anything.

It's the hardest thing in the world to put yourself in someone else's place, try to really feel what they feel, figure out why they do the things they do. Especially when it's easier to stick a label on something. Or someone.