Your first responsibility is to yourself and to your own goodness of heart.

I tend to foster drama via bleakness. If I want the reader to feel sympathy for a character, I cleave the character in half, on his birthday. And then it starts raining. And he's made of sugar.

What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.

What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded . . . sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly.

Do those things that incline you toward the big questions, and avoid the things that would reduce you and make you trivial.

Developing our sympathetic compassion is not only possible but the only reason for us to be here on earth.

According to me, your life is going to be a gradual process of becoming kinder and more loving. Hurry up. Speed it along. Start right now.

It's a big world, and I really like it.

Character is that sum total of moments we can't explain.

The generalizing writer is like the passionate drunk, stumbling into your house mumbling: I know I'm not being clear, exactly, but don't you kind of feel what I'm feeling?

Kindness, it turns out, is hard - it starts out all rainbows and puppy dogs, and expands to include . . . well, EVERYTHING.

When I turn back to Jase, he’s again beaming at me. “You’re nice.” He sounds pleased, as if he hadn’t expected this aspect of my personality.

since destiny always rings three times...

I want a man who's kind and understanding. Is that too much to ask of a millionaire?

One can show no greater respect than to weep for a stranger.

Self-confident people are proud of their accomplishments, but can remain humble without bragging.

I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.

I would rather spend one night with Dracula dead than with my husband alive.

I can't speak to the differences within the Catholic Church.

Move with a purpose dude.

No one ever became extremely wicked suddenly.