I am twelve thousand miles wiser, twelve thousand miles more resilient, and I have twelve thousand miles more faith in God.

I was so thankful that my parents trusted me enough and had enough faith in my abilities to let me follow my passion and try to do something great, even if I might fail.

Fewer people have successfully solo-circumnavigated the globe than have journeyed into space.

The things that happen on the sea take you beyond yourself, beyond human capability.

On June 10, the worst storm in the series swept across the middle of the Indian Ocean and Wild Eyes was directly in its path.

I wanted to break the record, of course, and become the youngest person to sail around the world solo and unassisted.

Wild Eyes was built for speed and I was flying down walls of water twenty and thirty feet high.

The open ocean often takes you past your physical limits and when it does, sailing becomes a mental game.

Going up the mast is one of the most dangerous things you can do as a solo sailor.

But none of that kept me from picturing what a tsunami might look like if it did rise up and roar toward my little boat like some watery blue version of the Great Wall of China.

Terror ripped through me as I was falling, falling, falling toward the sea.

I embrace my experience and value my wisdom.

Miracles focused gospel teaches us to be selfish and egocentric.

There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving and that's your own self.

The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.

Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?

Conquer a liar with truth.

It really shocks me when I encounter people who think kindness doesn't matter. Because I think it's pretty much the only thing that matters.

No," I say, looking up at Griggs. "It's actually because my heart belongs to someone else." And if I could bottle the look on his face, I'd keep it by my bedside for the rest of my life.

I understand what you're saying, and your comments are valuable, but I'm gonna ignore your advice.

It is once again the vexing problem of identity within variety; without a solution to this disturbing problem there can be no system, no classification.