The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.

Pain s the truth of art. Art is not a hobby or a pastime. It is the result of an internal battle royal, one between the quest for safety and the desire to matter.

You have to find a group that really desperately cares about what it is you have to say. Talk to them. They have something I call otaku. It's a great Japanese word. It describes the desire of someone who's obsessed to, say, drive across Tokyo to try a new Ramen noodle place 'cause that's what they do, they get obsessed with it.

The best time to start promoting your book is three years before it comes out. Three years to build a reputation, build a permission asset, build a blog, build a following, build credibility and build the connections you'll need later.

Someone can always do your job a little better or faster or cheaper than you can.

It's almost impossible to have fun playing ping pong with someone who doesn't care, won't try or isn't any good.

Leadership, on the other hand, is about creating change you believe in.