The true measure of all our actions is how long the good in them lasts.

When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.

Let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly on wisdom.

Good memories are our second chance at happiness.

I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.

Family does not necessarily mean blood relatives but often a description of a community, organisation or nation.

It has been women who have breathed gentleness and care into the hard progress of humankind.

I have to be seen to be believed.

We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock.

Grief is the price we pay for love.

It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained.

A friend loves at all times.

He who is overly attached to his family members experiences fear and sorrow, for the root of all grief is attachment. Thus one should discard attachment to be happy.

And I find - I'm 63, and my capacity to be by myself and just spend time by myself hasn't diminished any. That's the necessary part of being a writer, you better like being alone.

I've gone through a really hard divorce, and anyone who has gone through a divorce will speak about how hard the journey is from start to finish. It's a life-uprooting time.

Writing about your community is difficult for any writer.

If you are a leader, the true measure of your success is not getting people to work. It's not getting people to work hard. It is getting people to work hard together. That takes commitment.

Put the past behind you, the present moment is all that matters, in the life of those who want to be happy.

Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.

It is all too easy to mistake passion that can change its mind for fundamentalism, which never will.

The seasons of life are not meant to be frenetic, just full. Blessed is the woman who knows her own limits.