It is better to be accepted by the bright few than by the dull masses.

A genuine smile is one of the world’s rarest treasures.

A fish that is afraid of drowning in a river is ignorant of its gifts.

A diamond earns its sparkle from the pressure it endures.

It is in the storm, not the calm, that a rainbow is born.

A determined seed cannot be hidden from the world, not even by dirt.

Calm skies don't make skillful eagles.

If you cry in the rain, only the sky will see your tears.

Birds keep singing beautiful songs, even if they have no audience.

Today's storms help you appreciate tomorrow’s sunshine.

Train the ears to hear more, the eyes to see more, the hands to do more, the feet to accomplish more, the mind to think more, the heart to feel more, and the soul to love more.

[P]art of the pleasure of engaging with a writer is unraveling some allusions and admitting defeat by others.

Have you ever gotten so sad that it actually feels GOOD to do something you know will make you even sadder?

I paint not by sight but by faith. Faith gives you sight.

[Afghanistan and Iraq] are still countries that are fragile enough that we're gonna have to partner with them in some way.

No absolute is going to make the lion lie down with the lamb: unless the lamb is inside.

If you want to know what an ultimate goal would be, of course it would be utter peace.

When there is hope, there is life.

We do not know enough about how the present will lead into the future.

I just want to go to university and have fun - I want to be an ordinary student. I'm only going to university. It's not like I'm getting married - though that's what it feels like sometimes.

I'm an old-fashioned theatre major at heart.