If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.

Surviving is important. Thriving is elegant.

When younger writers and poets, musicians and painters are weakened by a stemming of funds, they come to me saddened, not as full of dreams and excitement and ideas. I am then weakened and diminished, and made less rich.

People will never forget how you made them feel.

It is only out of ignorance that people are cruel, because they really don't think it will come back.

We need language to tell us who we are, how we feel, what we're capable of- to explain the pains and glory of our existence.

I have great respect for the past. If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going. I have respect for the past, but I'm a person of the moment. I'm here, and I do my best to be completely centered at the place I'm at, then I go forward to the next place.