My country tis of thee, to take swings at each other on talk show TV.

I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort where we overlap.

God forbid you be an ugly girl, 'course too pretty is also your doom, 'cause everyone harbors a secret hatred for the prettiest girl in the room.

They can call me crazy if I fail, all the chance that I need, is one-in-a-million and they can call me brilliant if I succeed.

One of my rules is: Never TRY to do anything. Just do it.

Every time I say something they find hard to hear, they chalk it up to my anger, and never to their own fear.

Some people wear their heart up on their sleeve. I wear mine underneath my right pant leg, strapped to my boot.

We are wise women, we are giggling girls. We both carry a smile to show when we're pleased, we both carry a switchblade in our sleeves.

We are taught to view pain as an enemy, not a teacher. But pain is the right hand of growth and transformation. Pain is in the history of all human wisdom.

Patriarchy is like the elephant in the room that we don't talk about, but how could it not affect the planet radically when it's the superstructure of human society?

I wonder what you look like under your t-shirt. I wonder what you sound like when you're not wearing words. I wonder what we have when we're not pretending.

I have this thing about friends and secrets. Sometimes when I meet a person I like, I tell them a secret they don't know me well enough to be told. It lets me judge their potential as a friend.

Turn your failure into a fairy tale of success and triumph.

Prayer creates a bridge from your heart to God.

I contend that not only can you laugh at adversity, but it is essential to do so if you are to deal with setbacks without defeat.

Liberty is an acknowledgement of faith in God and his works.

Never write a poem about anything that ought to have a poem written about it.

When we give up on our dreams, we die while still alive.

A boss who micromanages is like a coach who wants to get in the game. Leaders guide and support and then sit back to cheer from the sidelines.

When you stiffen, you know that whatever you stiffen about is very important. The stuff is important, the fear itself is information.

Realism is a very sophisticated form of literature, a very grown-up one. And that may be its weakness. But fantasy seems to be eternal and omnipresent and always attractive to kids.