Elvis, stop dat! You know it is taboo to whistle at night. You will attract a spirit.

What I've come to learn is that the world is never saved in grand messianic gestures, but in the simple accumulation of gentle, soft, almost invisible acts of compassion.

You know, you can steel your heart against any kind of trouble, any kind of horror. But the simple act of kindness from a complete stranger will unstitch you.

In this time of the Internet and nonfiction, to be on an actual bookshelf in an actual bookstore is exciting in itself.

What we know about who we are comes from stories. It's the agents of our imagination who really shape who we are.

The privilege of being a writer is that you have this opportunity to slow down and to consider things.

People think that writing is writing, but actually writing is editing. Otherwise, you're just taking notes

My friend Ronald Gottesman says...that the cause of all our trouble is the belief in an essential, pure identity: religious, ethnic, historical, ideological.

You can count on Scandinavian literature for a certain kind of darkness, a modern mythic style.

Men do communicate, often very directly, but women sometimes cannot accept how simple what we have to say is. We seldom play games--we aren't that sophisticated.

Before you speak, my friend, remember, a spiritual man contain his anger. Angry words are like slap in de face.

Ive also just come off a year and a half playing acoustic shows which is fantastic for the hands, and changes your head a little bit.

War is the most readily available form of chaos.

My mum raised us on classic movies and a lot of musical theatre.

Actors are limited by their appearance and while it has cost me some roles, it has got me some very important roles too.

That painter who has no doubts will achieve little.

I'm still happy, I like this life.

The name of peace is sweet, the thing itself is most salutary.

Love isn't material. It's energy... We experience it as kindness, giving, mercy, compassion, peace, joy, acceptance, non-judgment, joining and intimacy.

Even if you think the Big Bang created the stars, don't you wonder who sent the flowers?

The fears you don’t face control you. The fears you face, you move beyond.