Writing a first-draft battle scene is akin to real combat—chaos, confusion, and you must keep your cool as you fire word bullets downrange.

It's my belief that people enter your life at exactly the right time.

But people in a small town tend to do a lot of talking, even when they don’t know what they’re talking about.

Nothing says work efficiency like panic mode.

The recipe for great art has always been misery and a good bowel movement.

A day of bad writing is always better than a day of no writing.

Any conversation including the mention of Roald Dahl, Ray Bradbury, or Emily Dickinson is one worth getting into or at least eavesdropping.

Nothing's a better cure for writer's block than to eat ice cream right out of the carton.

A writer always writes.

Always mystify, torture, mislead, and surprise the audience as much as possible.

If you treat your characters like people, they'll reward you by being fully developed individuals.

Life is a living flute, yoga is the art of creating melody and rhythm in it.

Stop this attitude that older people ain't any good anymore! We're as good as we ever were - if we ever were any good.

The measure of choosing well, is, whether a man likes and finds good in what he has chosen.

To be able to feel the lightest touch really is a gift.

We are concerned with things. We are concerned with success. We are concerned with money. We are concerned with instrumentalities.

Miracle is the pet child of faith.

No single person who has ever lived will be able to tell you what happens. Period. Nobody's right and nobody's wrong.

This is the question I want everyone to ask yourself every single day when you come up with something you feel that needs to be done: if not now, then when? And if not me, then who?

How can life be worth living, if devoid Of the calm trust reposed by friend in friend? What sweeter joy than in the kindred soul, Whose converse differs not from self-communion?

There is no balm of Gilead, No salve, no soothing ointment To stay the pain of one who's had In love a disappointment-- Unless it be that healing lotion Of fixing on a new devotion.