Elvis was just like a big old kid. It was like he never got past 19, I don't think, in a lotta ways.

If it was just me and Elvis one on one, which only happened once or twice in the times that I did see him, it was a really comfortable. He was a cool guy... easy laugh, nice guy.

In the Ghetto, I'd been trying to write for years.

One of my real goals was to hear someone whistling a song I'd written.

There was a chance for me to write one song for the section where Elvis sat in his black leather outfit and sang the old hits. At eight oclock the next morning I had written Memories.

I had always wanted to write a song called 'The Vicious Circle'. I always thought it was like, the kids are born there, they grow up there, they die there.

I was out on the golf course, a guy came riding out in a golf cart and said, Did you know that Elvis died? And I just said, Well, there you go. It was like I had kinda been expecting it.

I didn't have a lot of communication with Elvis. You had to go through a barricade to get to Elvis. It was people hanging on every word, and I felt very uncomfortable a lot of times.

Oh lord, it's hard to be humble when your perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, cause I get better looking each day.

'Don't Cry Daddy' is a pretty sad song. He got to the end of it and it was just real quiet and Elvis says, 'I'm gonna cut that someday for my daddy'. And, by God, he did. He lived up to his word.

First time I saw Elvis was at the Lubbock County fairgrounds in Lubbock, Texas. He was on the back end of a truck. There was about 1500 screaming kids.

all the tall mad mountains of her mind

To many people fall short of their goals because they mistakenly believe that losing is just another comfortable place to sit.

Imitations produce pain or pleasure, not because they are mistaken for realities, but because they bring realities to mind.

I confess I found it somewhat insipid when I last went....it was all so prosy - so bonnety - so whisty and teacuppy - you see, the adjectives for it do not even exist, and I must invent them.

Nobody is wired wrong, because there's no wrong and right in the way we are.

For me, the term "literary fiction" means there's always attention paid to language, and linguistic experimentation, sophistication.

Desperately seeking something is not what attracts it to us. When we dwell, in deep peace and kindness, whatever would add to our happiness just flows to our door.

I'm not a sexy guy. I went to a hooker. I dropped my pants. She dropped her price.

There is hope after despair and many suns after darkness.

The ability to manage well doesn't make much difference if you're not even in the right jungle.