A theory of creativity is actually just a metaphor. A pool of ideas, a well of memories, a voice.

Oh, that sound? I'm in the hot tub, reading a novel.

Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book.

Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist.

I suspected that there were things he knew that I had been waiting all my life to learn.

In many ways, being honest about 'Huckleberry Finn' goes right to the heart of whether we can be honest about our heritage and our identity as Americans.

Even if my marriage is falling apart and my children are unhappy, there is still a part of me that says, 'God, this is fascinating!'

Take naps. Often new ideas come together when you are half asleep, but you have to train yourself to remember them.

Candy is my fuel. Ice cream, too.

But what truly horsey girls discover in the end is that boyfriends, husbands, children, and careers are the substitute-for horses

In every society, the artists will be the ones who set themselves up as contrary to whatever the society expects.

Golf sits in that beautiful junction between perfection and frustration.

The people who live and lead with the most joy and contentment are those who have clarity about their priorities.

He lived far from the gods, but in his mind he was at home with them.

I care so much about everything that I care about nothing

I wanted to [share] what a gracious kind of guy George Mitchell was.

Was there anything more exciting in life than seeking answers?

You take a poor black child. Give him a good education, tell him he's somebody, that God didn't create junk when he created him, and that black child will create his own affirmative action.

Being out on the edge, with everything at risk, is where you learn and grow the most.

Comedy is not supposed to be funny. Its supposed to tell the truth and then that's funny.

I have achieved a lot and I'm grateful for that - I'm just a bit greedy because I want to add the Olympics. It's once every four years - everyone wants it and very few people get it.