Poetry is emotion, passion, love, grief - everything that is human. It is not for zombies by zombies.

When I wake up every morning, I thank God for the new day.

November is auspicious in so many parts of the country: the rice harvest is already in, the weather starts to cool, and the festive glow which precedes Christmas has began to brighten the landscape.

I have tried to be very rational, although I know love and hate are not rational and explained feelings.

Language as a communication tool is the primary element from which literature is created. Even in pre-literate societies, it exists as songs, riddles, or epics that are chanted.

Art, whatever form it takes, requires hard work, craftsmanship and creativity. As a writer, I know my grammar, cadence, the music of prose, and the art of the narrative.

All dictators, the rich and famous, to the lowest security guard who holds a gun, easily forget that power is transitory.

I have always admired teachers because teaching, like the priesthood, medicine and writing, is a vocation. You don't become a teacher because you want wealth. It is the same with writing.

The Japanese bureaucracy is unique. It is also very powerful, although it is now the object of so much criticism. Many of Japan's brightest made it a pillar of strength and continuity.

We are shallow because our media are so horribly shallow. Every morning, I peruse the papers, and there is so little to read in them. It is the same with radio - all that noise, that artifice.

We are shallow because we are 'mayabang, ' ego driven, and do not have the humility to understand that we are only human, much too human to mistake knowledge for wisdom.

Everything that you can touch with pure love belongs to you.

The word of God renewed my mind.

Don't look backwards. That never does any good. Think about the future instead.

Never start a sentence with the words 'No offense.

Western civilization is a loaded gun pointed at the head of this planet.

Death was constant, unprejudiced to age, race, or creed.

The voice of God, if you must know, is Aretha Franklin's.

Trust your gut. Respect and show up for yourself or no one else will. Show up for your friends too.

I want to play my best, day in and day out. It's a pride thing for me. I'm going to go out there and dominate the guy I'm playing against every time.

Most modern freedom is at root fear. It is not so much that we are too bold to endure rules; it is rather that we are too timid to endure responsibilities.