The ironies in the commonplace are my inspiration and delight.

Pain narrows consciousness; pleasure blurs it.

When Medusa looks in the mirror, she sees the Lady of Sorrows.

My passions have never jumped out of the fireplace and set fire to the carpet.

Retirement requires the invention of a new hedonism, not a return to the hedonism of youth

The sewing machine joins what the scissors have cut asunder, plus whatever else comes in its path.

Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story.

The laughter of the aphorism is sometimes triumphant, but seldom carefree.

'Be faithful to your roots' is the liberal version of 'Stay in your ghetto.'

Every day begins with an act of courage and hope: getting out of bed.

Totem poles and wooden masks no longer suggest tribal villages but fashionable drawing rooms in New York and Paris.

It’s useful to compare our preparations for epidemics with our preparations for war.

Nature is also great fun. To pretend that nature isn't fun is to miss much of the joy of being alive.

I recently have had a full hip replacement and a liver transplant, and I'm getting used to the medication.

Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men.

You guys on the white horses keep trying to save women in distress, not realizing you just end up with a distressed woman.

I don’t believe in following a path set by others. You have to create a path for yourself.

When I got a record deal I said, 'I'm only wearing jeans. I'm not wearing frilly dresses.' Dancing around in sequins is just not who I am. I wanted to be heard, not seen.

The simplest way of becoming his light is by being kind and loving, thoughtful, and sincere with others: 'By this they will know that you are his disciples.'

When you're growing up, you want to feel part of something.

I didn't start writing in order to express myself. If anything the opposite was true. I was just as interested in negating the I and the ego.