But it is Bella, not the supernaturals she falls in with, who is the true horror show here, at least as a female role model.

The notion is called wabi-sabi life, like the cherry blossom, it is beautiful because of its impermanence, not in spite of it, more exquisite for the inevitability of loss.

Sexualization is the performance of sexuality, the performance of sexiness. Girls are super good at that now.

Girls are removing pubic hair before fully having it. They would say I feel cleaner, it's for me, but then they'd say if a boy saw pubic hair down there they'd head for the hills.

I found that in a perverse way our culture and parents are far more comfortable talking about girls' vicitimization than girls' sexual agency.

All girls over age 14 remove pubic hair. The only touching is to remove hair. That's grim.

Marketing to girls constantly presents a hypersexualized idea of girls; they're expected to appear sexy but be cut off from their sexuality.

Displaying yourself as sexy doesn't do anything to increase sexual self-knowledge or pleasure.

Sexualization is imposed from the outside as opposed to sexuality, an understanding of the body's responses and desires and ability to communicate that, cultivated from within.

The point of creativity is to express and challenge yourself, to make meaning, to embrace your life.

There is a way hook ups are serving young women. And it was important for me to always talk about how behaviours were serving girls, not just making them the victims.

Think of these books as doors. Open them and let their ideas stir your mind. Study them and they become weapons.

To be extremely happy but extremely intelligent is a task of being optimistic without being cheesy.

What was it Isak Dinesen had said about salt as a cure? Tears, sweat, or the sea. She could use a cure.

God made you a masterpiece - be blessed, secure, disciplined and equipped.

Religion is the venereal disease of mankind.

To cut and slash are two different things. Cutting, whatever form of cutting it is, is decisive, with a resolute spirit. Slashing is nothing more than touching the enemy.

If you wagered $5,000 on each of my winning NFL picks in 2012 and $500 ($550) on each of my losing picks, you'd be ahead $70,050. Wow.

If I could have just one more wish, I'd wipe the cobwebs from my eyes.

When I was a young writer if you went to a party and told somebody you were a science-fiction writer you would be insulted. They would call you Flash Gordon all evening, or Buck Rogers.

If someone's not attacking you that means you're not doing your job effectively.