My father was a saint. I'm not.

My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.

Opportunities are not offered. They must be wrested and worked for. And this calls for perseverance... and courage.

Every new experience brings its own maturity and a greater clarity of vision.

To be liberated, woman must feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man but in the context of her own capacity and her personality.

People tend to forget their duties but remember their rights.

Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.

The purpose of life is to believe, to hope, and to strive.

I don't mind if my life goes in the service of the nation. If I die, every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation.

Women sometimes go too far, it's true. But it's only when you go too far that others listen.

To become capable, one must have faith in oneself.

He is not the leader of great causes, but the broker of little ones.

A clean pond is more useful than a dirty ocean.

Because we have learned to believe negativity is more realistic, it appears more real than any positive voice.

The trouble with poetry is that it encourages the writing of more poetry.

Jokes that make me laugh out loud when I write them almost always bomb. I have no idea why.

I said I would never go to a psychiatrist, and I spent much of my life in psychoanalysis.

I don’t ever unwind. My work is my peace. If I’m not working I’m not at peace.

I want to keep publishing books, and writing and spreading my heartsong through the world.

I love being onstage, I love the relationship with the audience.

We are surrounded by worn-out, banal, useless and exhausted images, limping and dragging themselves behind the rest of our cultural evolution.