I was amazed that what I needed to survive could be carried on my back. And, most surprising of all, that I could carry it.

You will learn a lot about yourself if you stretch in the direction of goodness, of bigness, of kindness, of forgiveness, of emotional bravery. Be a warrior for love.

What if I was never redeemed? What if I already was?

Don't surrender all your joy for an idea you used to have about yourself that isn't true anymore.

Whatever happens to you belongs to you. Make it yours. Feed it to yourself even if it feels impossible to swallow. Let it nurture you, because it will.

The story of human intimacy is one of constantly allowing ourselves to see those we love most deeply in a new, more fractured light. Look hard. Risk that.

You have to say I am forgiven again and again until it becomes the story you believe about yourself.

That my complicated life could be made so simple was astounding.

Real love moves freely in both directions. Don't waste your time on anything else.

Be about ten times more magnanimous than you believe yourself capable of. Your life will be a hundred times better for it.

Love is our essential nutrient. Without it, life has little meaning. It's the best thing we have to give and the most valuable thing we receive. It's worthy of all the hullabaloo.

Character building begins in our infancy and continues until death.

My heroes are the ones who survived doing it wrong, who made mistakes, but recovered from them.

You don't carry in your countenance a letter of recommendation.

My friends, it is one thing to go to church or chapel; it is quite another thing to go to God.

"What is a human being, then?" "A seed." "A... seed?" "An acorn that is unafraid to destroy itself in growing into a tree."

I'm sorry, Alabama fans. I'm from New York and didn't watch football growing up.

We increased expenses, particularly in two areas: the military. If I put somebody in harm's way, they're going to get the best, as far as I'm concerned.

our rights come from our Creator and it is impossible to define America if you do not talk in public about where your rights come from.

We are too civil to books. For a few golden sentences we will turn over and actually read a volume of four or five hundred pages.

I would give worlds, if I had them, if The Age of Reason had never been published. O Lord, help! Stay with me! It is hell to be left alone.