When things get unbearable, I wrap myself into a tight ball and shut my eyes. Every muscle in my body is tense. I open my eyes and I'm still where I was when I closed them to escape. Nothing's changed.

They can give you all the pills on earth and do whatever - and you're still yourself.

Banned! My eyes light up, I think I see stars. Anything that has been banned by anyone must be something I’d like.

I am fortunate to have been well paid for an almost pathological honesty.

In my case, I was not frightened in the least bit at the thought that I might live because I was certain, quite certain, that I was already dead.

If you are chronically down, it is a lifelong fight to keep from sinking

I wasn't just the madwoman in the attic--I was the attic itself. The past was all over me, all under me, all inside me.