Because you don't learn anything unless you can find the patience to read. TV takes that away from you. It robs you from your mind.

Not a beauty queen. Not one of those. You know the ones. She was real.

It is early, early morning. It's that time when it's still dark but you know the day is coming. Blue is bleeding through black. Stars are dying.

My own eyes try to sleep, but they don't. They stay wide awake as time snarls forward and silence drops down, like measured thought.

The pages and the words are my world, spread out before your eyes and for your hand to touch. Vaguely, I can see you face looking down into me, as I look back. Do you see my eyes?

A couple of them were school beauty-queen pretty while a few were that more real-looking type. A realer kind of pretty.

All four of us were young and undaunted and our smiles were so strong that it made me smile even then on the couch, with a kind of loss.

... tried praying for him ...but I couldn't. I just couldn't. Don't ask me why. I hoped that he was okay, but I couldn't summon the strength to pray for it.

The city was dark except for the building lights that seemed to appear like sores - like bandaids had been ripped off to expose the city's skin.

I wanted nothing for free.Nothing came for free at our place anyway.

One good punch from Rube on me would send the sky into my head and the clouds into my lungs. I just always tried to stay up.

His charm was not electric, but it was enveloping.

Just because you're scarred for life doesn't mean you should be scared to live.

Morals are in all countries the result of legislation and government; they are not African or Asian or European: they are good or bad.

Drug addicts, when they are in their addiction, are selfish.

Before we can leave our parents, they stuff our heads like the suitcases which they jam-pack with homemade underwear.

Keep moving ahead because action creates momentum, which in turn creates unanticipated opportunities.

Hold on tight, Sam." He puts me in a choke hold. "Ahhh," I gasp. "Not that tight.

The ability to keep a cool head in an emergency, maintain poise in the midst of excitement, and to refuse to be stampeded are true marks of leadership.

[Saddam] Hussein maintains an active and aggressive nuclear weapons program.

My enemies can take what they want, but my life is mine and so long as I breathe, it has value. I won't ever give up. Not again.