I get ideas from my own personal experiences, from my imagination, and from my research and from old stories.

I love teaching. It's a job that lasts forever. Whatever you teach children today travels with them far into the future.

Writing is a miracle. You can travel anywhere in the world, to any time and any place — and still be home in time to have dinner.

I have to keep facing the darkness. If I stand tall and face the thing I fear, I have a chance to conquer it. If I just keep dodging and hiding it will conquer me.

Reading is the basic springboard for learning. And books provide the liftoff. They are the great equalizer, opening up new worlds to everyone.

Then everything was still. Absolutely still.

There is no water and still less soap. We have no city, but lots of hope.

The historical novel gives us perspective on our modern lives and helps us connect with the story, which we are continuing ourselves.

I believe we're entering a new era, where dynamic female leaders will have an opportunity to bring greater harmony and peace to the planet.

Artists have to believe in the merit of their own work and persevere whether they receive public recognition or not, but it's ever so nice when someone says, "Job well done"!

I think it might be nice if there was a Cosimo de' Medici around today, offering commissions to the poor, but talented artists.

The Bible says more about hell than about heaven.

I'm in love with writing, but sometimes I swear it hates me.

Because of technological limits, there is a certain amount of food that we can produce per acre. If we were to have intensive greenhouse agriculture, we could have much higher production.

When among the graves of thy fellows, walk with circumspection; thine own is open at thy feet.

I can't retire from life. I love life too much and I cannot wait to start the day.

Man must vanquish himself, must do himself violence, in order to perform the slightest action untainted by evil.

The Christian church is an encyclopedia of prehistoric cults.

Ultimately, I know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I'm trying to be a construction worker. I'm trying to make things. If people are not interested in that, fine. I just don't give a damn.

I'm not gonna try to defend, or undo what's been done. All I could say about whatever's been done, it's been done, and it's water under the bridge. I have no regrets of my life.

There are no wrong notes in jazz: only notes in the wrong places.