As every cockroach knows, thriving on poisons is the secret of success.

Pain narrows consciousness; pleasure blurs it.

When Medusa looks in the mirror, she sees the Lady of Sorrows.

My passions have never jumped out of the fireplace and set fire to the carpet.

Retirement requires the invention of a new hedonism, not a return to the hedonism of youth

The sewing machine joins what the scissors have cut asunder, plus whatever else comes in its path.

Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story.

The laughter of the aphorism is sometimes triumphant, but seldom carefree.

'Be faithful to your roots' is the liberal version of 'Stay in your ghetto.'

Every day begins with an act of courage and hope: getting out of bed.

Totem poles and wooden masks no longer suggest tribal villages but fashionable drawing rooms in New York and Paris.

When the rare chance comes, seize itTo do the rare deed.

For the record: I wear makeup. All. The. Time. But I do it in a way that looks natural.

Theatre is simply what cannot be expressed by any other means; a complexity of words, movements, gestures that convey a vision of the world inexpressible in any other way.

What is it at which all true artists are aiming? It is life, it is reality.

I wish I had an invisible plane to take me home to Brooklyn, and I wouldn't have to ride the subway.

That’s all you really hope for from a book – that it’s going to resonate with young people and empower them in some way. I believe poetry can get kids reading.

On what high-performing companies should be striving to create: A great place for great people to do great work.

Find things that shine and move toward them.

Life is to be lived, not controlled.

Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.