I try to teach my students that books are a mirror, reflecting their own lives, and a window, giving them a peek into someone else's.

I realized that every lesson, conference, response, and assignment I taught must lead students away from me and toward their autonomy as literate people.

Readers enjoy talking about books almost as much as they like reading.

Books are love letters (or apologies) passed between us, adding a layer of conversation beyond our spoken words.

Although I enjoy digging through the library to help students find books, my aim is to help them develop self-confidence in choosing books for themselves.

Students need to make their own choices about reading material and writing topics.

The purpose of schools should not be to prepare students for more school. We should be seeking to have fully engaged students now

Failure is not an option, so why talk about it?

A classroom atmosphere that promotes reading does not come from the furniture and its placement as much as it comes from the teacher's expectation that students will read.

If we value all readers, we must value all reading.

When we meet and I discover that we have read and loved the same books, we are instant friends.

Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus!

An idea, like a machine, must have power applied to it before it can accomplish anything.

Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative.

It is never good dwelling on good-byes ... it is not the being together that it prolongs, it is the parting.

The great thing about fact-based decisions is that they overrule the hierarchy.

Although the term dialogue was really a euphemism for scientists trying to kill each other, this format worked very well.

My doctor was like, 'Any questions?' And I was like, 'Yes! When can I drink please?!' I just want a margarita.

Not everything in life can or should be explained. Part of every painting should be incomplete...to be completed in the mind of the viewer.

Why not start over because every promise made is not kept, why not start over so the American people can debate [the health care law] again?!

She listened to him all night and he found her fascinating.