A dead hydrangea is as intricate and lovely as one in bloom. Bleak sky is as seductive as sunshine, miniature orange trees without blossom or fruit are not defective; they are that.

I'm not entangled in shaping my work according to other people's views of how I should have done it.

Don't tell us what to believe, what to fear. Show us belief's wide skirt and the stitch that unravels fear's caul.

When a man angers you, he conquers you.

As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think.

There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.

Movements toward freedom and the self-respect that comes from something other than what people think is their most important feature.