It's hard to say which of us is luckier, the ones who go through long periods when they can't write or the ones who can write pretty easily.

I think people feel for a long time that they ought to know how to write a novel in two drafts.

Whoever would write books? It's suffering as well as greatly satisfying. And certainly there's suffering in the sense that you don't know for a long time how to do it.

We still have so many cultures in which people are imprisoned and whipped and killed for writing what they think.

In many cultures, women are sometimes literally kept from learning to read or from going to school.

There's the belief that we can't be smart enough to write. And certainly censorship of women, too.

You have to write fiction that mirrors the actual world, which has people of all sorts in it.

I heard a white writer say, 'Oh, I'd never put black people in my writing, I'm afraid I would offend someone by doing it wrong.' I can't bear that!

There is a lot of censorship about writing that's exerted from all directions, from families or governments and society, even the fear of being offensive in some way.

Little children are all writers.

I love it when people can help me with my work, so I do show it.

Let your mind dwell richly on Christ Jesus.

Worrying about parents is a waste of time. It’s your life. Let’s have a martini.

Don’t keep people in hatred. You might lose that very person who should endorse your next appointment letter if you are a skillful hater of people. Let love lead

Instead of looking for miracles why believe so strong in invisible virtues like dignity of labor.

All work which is necessary ennobles him who performs it. Only one thing is shameful - to contribute nothing to the community.

It has been my exprience that repetitive nights of exposure to the kundalini energy followed by longer periods of reflection and pyschic networking create the fastest transitions in awareness.

I should write a book. I've always wanted to write a book. I should write a book about kids who see dead people.

I dont like myself without a beard.

Just make it (his obituary): born in Russia, first lesson at 3, debut at 7, debut in America in 1917.

But in my mind I've always been a solo artist- I've just been working with a lot of great people like Kanye and Alicia Keys and Jay-Z.