I was immediately taken with Geoff Muldaur's rich soulful voice, masterful phrasing and guitar playing when I first heard him.

I'm fascinated by the whole concept of snake handling. When you read about the Pentecostal snake handlers, what strikes you the most is their commitment.

I'm just like everyone. I like to feel togetherness with someone.

So few people are truly themselves when they're in the spotlight.

I'm not just a doormat. I'm not just being stepped on all over the place. If you look at the bulk of my material, it's about trying to find some strength through that.

People let their own hang-ups become the obstacles between them and personal happiness.

As it turns out, now is the moment you've been waiting for

I guess you could write a good song if your heart hadn't been broken, but I don't know of anyone whose heart hasn't been broken.

The perfect man? A poet on a motorcycle.

First thing, I throw on some jeans, a T-shirt and my Keds sneakers and make coffee. That is actually my favorite time of day. That is when I do my songwriting, when I am in writing mode.

Have compassion for everyone you meet, even if they don’t want it.

I mean, language fascinates me anyway, and different words have different energies and you can change the whole drive of a sentence.

Since ancient times artists and architects have seen in the golden mean the most aesthetically satisfying geometric ratio.

I really enjoyed being Peppy Miller. She was an amazing character and her energy followed me everywhere. When I talk about her I want to be her again.

If a composer has a nice wife and some nice children, how can he let the children starve on his dissonances?

If I were a dad, I'd have my kids watch 'I Love Lucy' and 'The Honeymooners.'

She will love deeply--suffer terribly--she will have glorious moments to compensate.

It doesn't help for you to name a character's first name be Mindy and then be like, "I'm nothing like the character."

You don't go to Buckingham Palace in a sweater.

Government cannot solve all our problems, even in normal times, much less during a catastrophe of nature that reminds man how little he is, despite all his big talk.

The sovereign is called a tyrant who knows no laws but his caprice.