Write first. Worry about getting an agent or publisher later. Write it first. Prove you can do it and then others will listen. Tons of people talk about books they want to write. Far fewer are those who actually complete that vision. Don’t be a talker.

You know, kids need to feel like they're not being drowned out by superior competitors and they'll make that connection that, with a little more effort, I can compete. I can be competitive. I can be successful here with a little more effort and application and they learn that themselves. It's not just us telling them how hard you work matters. They need to feel it on their own.

Books have been my classroom and my confidant. Books have widened my horizons. Books have comforted me in my hardest times. Books have changed my life.

As I get older, I've learned to listen to people rather than accuse them of things.

The tougher the times, the more clarity you gain about the difference between what really matters and what you only pretend to care about.

We've all lost something along the way.

Love that has been tested is far more awe-inspiring than love that has never known anything but bliss.