At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.

Words are things. You must be careful, careful about calling people out of their names, using racial pejoratives and sexual pejoratives and all that ignorance. Don’t do that. Some day we’ll be able to measure the power of words. I think they are things. They get on the walls. They get in your wallpaper. They get in your rugs, in your upholstery, and your clothes, and finally in to you.

When I was asked to do something good, I often say yes, I'll try, yes, I'll do my best. And part of that is believing, if God loves me, if God made everything from leaves to seals and oak trees, then what is it I can't do?

Self-pity in its early stage is as snug as a feather mattress. Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable.

Anger is like fire. It burns all clean.

That's the biggest gift I can give anybody: 'Wake up, be aware of who you are, what you're doing and what you can do to prevent yourself from becoming ill.'

We need Joy as we need air. We need Love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.