Art - when it is really doing what it should do - teaches abstract thinking; it teaches teamwork; it teaches people to actually think about things that they cannot see.

We are part of each other and part of something bigger than our own egos. An artist should... bring into the world some vision. Dancers should ask, "What is their work in the service of?"

This is what I call participation in the world of ideas. That is what art-making is.

When I am in pain, I must know that beauty always has been and always will be. This is as close to eternity as I need to be.

Slavery is a memory of something we cannot remember, and yet we cannot forget.

We all agree that marriage is a fundamental right. And in our country, and in our society, there are no second-class citizens.

Knowing who you are is half the peace of accepting yourself.

Break open your heart so that I may enter it.

Meditation is culture.

I have always tried to live my life with enthusiasm and pleasure.

Because I also teach college, I am around a lot of young women who are just starting out, and I often see them coming up against certain expectations that may be more gender-specific.

I'm still writing songs but leaving them a lot more open and not trying to control every nuance of it.

When we're born, we want to know why the stars shine. We want to know why the sun rises.

I grew up in Manhattan, and I've always had all kinds of people around me. I've always had a very 'live and let live' point of view.

The passages of Shakespeare that we most prize were never quoted until within this century.

As an artist, to release music is what you look forward to. That's what everybody looks forward to when they sign a deal. It feels really good to know I'm actually working towards a release date.