When I read students’ attempts at creative writing it is obvious immediately that most of them have not read much or widely. The aspiring writer must read everything he or she can to appreciate the myriad ways words are used and to what effect.

It ain't how long you know somebody that means anything. It's what that person mean to you in your heart.

Each of us is comprised of stories, stories not only about ourselves but stories about ancestors we never knew and people we've never met. We have stories we love to tell and stories we have never told anyone. The extent to which others know us is determined by the stories we choose to share. We extend a deep trust to someone when we say, "I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone." Sharing stories creates trust because through stories we come to a recognition of how much we have in common.

How can I love you if I don't know what hurts you?

We remember with our emotions. The things that were important in our emotional life, that's what we remember.

... the object of learning was not to build a better mousetrap but to ask a better question.

Goodness was not a trait you acquired; it was a value you practiced when you were on the verge of doing evil.