Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few.

Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth.

The secret of success is constancy of purpose.

Cleanliness and order are not matters of instinct; they are matters of education, and like most great things, you must cultivate a taste for them.

Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.

Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.

Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke.

One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.

Time is precious, but truth is more precious than time.

Never complain and never explain.

Finality is not the language of politics.

His insights have come to him through a crack in the veneer of civilization, which was also a crack in his own soul. He had the courage to look in this direction.

Flowers are the smiles of earth inviting you to enjoy the beauty of love.

It is a sin to write this.

I write novels about ordinary women who face seemingly insurmountable odds, but through courage and determination find their heart's desire.

It can be a real struggle to accept that sometimes appearance can be more important than talent or intelligence.

Edgar had a heart attack, and I'm to blame. We were making love, and I took the bag off my head.

Happiness is where you start from rather than where you go. God, I sound like Yoda.

As the years go by, I find myself experiencing God's extraordinary concern, consideration, healing, and what I call in my books, the divine therapy.

Dare to tell the smallest of stories if you want to generate large emotions.

Date syrup is a natural sweetener that has wonderful richness and treacly depth; I drizzle it over semolina porridge.