My doctor told me that I really should lose some weight. "You're mildly obese," he said. And I thought, "Well, who couldn't afford to lose 20 or 30 pounds?" He said, "Well, a person in your category." I said, "What is that category, doctor?" He said, "Well, you're what I call upwardly middle aged." And I said, "I forgive you for everything."

The dread of futility has been my life-long plague.

Living well is an art that can be developed.

I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.

I read the Bible to myself; I'll take any translation, any edition, and read it aloud, just to hear the language, hear the rhythm, and remind myself how beautiful English is.

The intensity with which young people live demands that they "blank out" as often as possible.

Look what you've already come through! Don't deny it. Say I'm stronger than I thought I was