A novel is not moral in the usual sense of the word. It can be called moral when it shakes us out of our stupor and makes us confront the absolutes we believe in.

Every great work of art ... is a celebration, an act of insubordination against the betrayals, horrors and infidelities of life.

I see people who talk about America, and then undermine it by not paying attention to its soul, to its poetry. I see polarization, reductionism and superficiality.

Once we know of atrocities we cannot remain silent, and knowledge inevitably leads to an urge to protect the innocent.

That, of course, is what great works of imagination do for us: They make us a little restless, destabilize us, question our preconceived notions and formulas.

I no longer believe that we can keep silent. We never really do, mind you. In one way or another we articulate what has happened to us through the kind of people we become.

You need imagination in order to imagine a future that doesn't exist.

It is amazing how, when all possibilities seem to be taken away from you, the minutest opening can become a great freedom.

The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream.

I eat my heart out alone.

I am suddenly left alone again on the sunny path, with a memory of the rain.

Your strength is your ticket to persistence.Your mind is your ticket to brilliance.Your heart is your ticket to excellence.Your soul is your ticket to transcendence.

You shouldn't be looking for the secret to making people follow fads, you should be looking for the secret to making them think for themselves. Because that's what science is all about.

Even a vortex is a vortex in something. You can't have a whirlpool without water; and you can't have a vortex without gas, or molecules or atoms or ions or electrons or something, not nothing.

Celebrate even small victories.

I want the people I love to get up and speak about me, and even if you cry it'll be OK. I want you to say honest things.

A man's house is his stage. Others walk on to play their bit parts. Now and again a soliloquy, a birth, an adultery.

I just want to keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully people will watch my movies.

It is important for me to share my experiences in order to create strength and hope for others. No matter how far down you go, it is never too late to come back.

Simple techniques for meditation can involve repetition of spiritually focused words, thoughts or ideas that help one feel at peace mentally and physically.

I really wanted to be a musician, but it turned out I had no sense of time.