... the wing of a fly is proof enough of the existence of God for me.

Without music, life is a journey through a desert.

It's impossible to explain to a Yankee what 'tacky' is. They simply have no word for it up north, but my God, do they ever need one.

I was born and raised on a Carolina sea island and I carried the sunshine of the low-country, inked in dark gold, on my back and shoulders.

I’ve never had anyone’s approval, so I’ve learned to live without it.

The most powerful words in English are, 'Tell me a story.'

Here is all I ask of a book- give me everything. Everything, and don't leave out a single word.

I stood face to face with the moon and the ocean and the future that spread out with all its bewildering immensity before me.

Good writing ... involves the agony of turning profoundly difficult thoughts into lucid form, then forcing them into the tight-fitting uniform of language, making them visible and clear.

There is no teacher more discriminating or transforming than loss.

The great teachers fill you up with hope and shower you with a thousand reasons to embrace all aspects of life.

I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.

Real change requires you to change your behavior-not just your attitude.

Suicide leaves everyone feeling guilty.

All of you here have one hundred thousand bad drawings in you. The sooner you get rid of them, the better it will be for everyone.

Most sane people think that no insane person can reason logically. But this is not so.

There are no mistakes, only lessons. If you don't learn the lesson the first time, they get harder.

People think of me in the same breath as Robert Redford and Robert De Niro.

Your success will have everything to do with how you perceive yourself, because how you perceive yourself is how others will perceive you, too.

A woman would run through fire and water for such a kind heart.

I take great pride in having been able to overcome the Asian financial crisis and seeking the opportunities available to bring about an unprecedented growth in the economy