It's so much of what art and creativity are, being able to confront your own demons. If you can do that, you can get through just about everything.

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.

God deals us all different hands. How we play 'em is up to us.

But no matter how much planning you do, one tiny miscalculation, one moment of distraction, can end it all in an instant.

Since Mom wasn't exactly the most useful person in the world, one lesson I learned at an early age was how to get things done, and this was a source of both amazement and concern for Mom, who considered my behavior unladylike but also counted on me. "I never knew a girl to have such gumption," she'd say. "But I'm not too sure it's a good thing.

You're in a horse race but you're thinking like a sheep. Sheep don't win horse races.

People are like animals. Some are happiest penned in, some need to roam free. You go to recognize what's in her nature and accept it.