You don't have to be the specialist on everything. You can try to inform yourself.

I can't do a linear novel. I'm just going to write what I need to write.

One of the books that has guided me in the last ten years of my life to help me to be that leader is the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh's Being Peace. He's a Vietnamese monk. He was nominated for a Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King.

The most powerful speaking you can do is the speaking that comes from your heart and your love.

Heartbreak makes us stronger; it's an opportunity for spiritual growth. How can you understand someone else's pain if you have not yourself suffered?

I'm not afraid to say what I'm afraid of. Does that make me fearless?

I think that we need to measure how we give dollars to libraries by need. And the communities that are poor, in my opinion, should get more because you have to do more outreach.