Dad was a philosopher and had what he called his Theory of Purpose, which held that everything in life had a purpose, and unless it achieved that purpose, it was just taking up space on the planet and wasting everybody's time.

I lived in a world that at any moment could erupt into fire. It was the sort of knowledge that kept you on your toes.

Don't be afraid of your dark places. ... If you can shine a light on them, you'll find treasure there.

Mom could say that in hindsight, but it seemed to me that when you were in the middle of something, it was awful hard to figure out what part of it was God's will and what wasn't.

It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty.

I found out that people are incredibly compassionate and kind. It really changed my view of the world.

If you had weak eyes, they needed exercise to get strong. Glasses were like crutches. They prevented people with feeble eyes from seeing the world on their own.