People see everything through the lens of their obsessions.

Like most-maybe all- writers, I learned to write by writing and, by example, by reading books.

All the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another.

Reading was like eating alone, with that same element of bingeing.

When we humans speak, we are not merely communicating information but attempting to make an impression and achieve a goal.

What I love is how pissed off Jane Eyre is. She's in a rage for the whole novel and the payoff is she gets to marry this blind guy who's toasted his wife in the attic." -Angela Argo "Blue Angel

A lot of girls who turn into something remarkable start off as irrepressible, confident and a handful.

Like seeing a photograph of yourself as a child, encountering handwriting that you know was once yours but that now seems only dimly familiar can inspire a confrontation with the mystery of time.

We never believe we're beautiful, no matter how many times we hear it. We never believe it until someone says it in the right way.

I’ve always found that the better the book I’m reading, the smarter I feel, or, at least, the more able I am to imagine that I might, someday, become smarter.

I know a lot of Eastern Europeans, and because of what they have been through and what they have seen, they have an attitude where they are not easily fooled.

When I am in nature, my heart dances with butterflies and sings along with flowers.

If the opponent offers keen play I don't object; but in such cases I get less satisfaction, even if I win, than from a game conducted according to all the rules of strategy with its ruthless logic.

People who describe culture and values and how people behave - I've heard people refer to it as 'the soft stuff'-they often underestimate its importance. The soft stuff actually is the hard stuff.

Take a chance. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. And don’t fall in love with Plan A.

He can cook and give good massages. What more do you need in a husband?

People would ask me why I was doing what I was doing - but I always told them that I just loved to skate. There was no other explanation.

Minor artists borrow, great ones steal.

Fortune is never satisfied with bringing one sorrow.

I am not a libertarian, and I fight very strongly against libertarian influence within the Republican Party and the conservative movement.

The priceless heritage of our society is the unrestricted constitutional right of each member to think as he will. Thought control is a copyright of totalitarianism, and we have no claim to it.