Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.

In all my work, in the movies I write, the lyrics, the poetry, the prose, the essays, I am saying that we may encounter many defeats – maybe it’s imperative that we encounter the defeats – but we are much stronger than we appear to be and maybe much better than we allow ourselves to be. Human beings are more alike than unalike.

Though she be but little, she is fierce.

Control your own destiny! Control your own destiny!

Step with care and great tact, and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.

The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.

Single life is so overrated.

I believe that one key to success is to accept truth, no matter how it’s spoken.

Women feel empowered when they can do the things that are supposed to be only for men, you know? It breaks boundaries, it’s liberating, and it’s empowering when you feel like, ‚Well, I can do that, too.‘

Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil, but that you have increased a habit.

Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.

Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.

Never take anything for granted.

Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.

Life is anything but predictable.

Nothing external to you has any power over you.

Find out who you are. And do it on purpose.

To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.

A lot of the problems I had with fame I was bringing on myself. A lot of self-loathing, a lot of woe-is-me. Now I’m learning to see the positive side of things, instead of, like, ‚I can’t go to Kmart. I can’t take my kids to the haunted house.‘

Because you know when you first become famous, you start walking a little different because people are staring at you.

Foolish men imagine that because judgment for an evil thing is delayed, there is no justice; but only accident here below. Judgment for an evil thing is many times delayed some day or two, some century or two, but it is sure as life, it is sure as death.

You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.

Remember, always give your best. Never get discouraged. Never be petty. Always remember, others may hate you. But those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.

If life gives you limes, make margaritas.

I don’t think I’m such an amazing person who needs to be written about.

Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.

It put our energies to sleep and made visionaries of us – dreamers and indolent… It is good to begin life poor; it is good to begin life rich – these are wholesome; but to begin it prospectively rich! The man who has not experienced it cannot imagine the curse of it.

It is only to the individual that a soul is given.

The thing about Jiu Jitsu is it is also not for everybody. It can be very humiliating and humbling. If you have a hard time dealing with the fact that someone smaller than you may be able to tap you out, it is going to be difficult.

I’ve used my femininity and my sexuality as a weapon and a tool… but that’s just natural.

Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure there is one less rascal in the world.

I am, as a character, at times, a little overbearing. I recognize that.

It’s certainly not wrong to want to be a better person. God gave us that desire.

It’s none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way.

Absolutely not. I have no problem with commitment. In fact, I love having someone in my life.

It is better to die than to preserve this life by incurring disgrace. The loss of life causes but a moment’s grief, but disgrace brings grief every day of one’s life.

Everything is generated through your own will power.

To live outside the law, you must be honest.

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.

My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.

I mean we all need a second chance sometimes.

Sometimes you must suffer through something to defeat your fear of it.

Books can only reveal us to ourselves, and as often as they do us this service we lay them aside.

Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.

My own eight children all march to the beat of their inner music, and in some cases, it is definitely far away from what I hear. I’ve had to honor their instincts and their choices, and merely guided them out of harm’s way until they could be their own guides.

Autobiographies are only useful as the lives you read about and analyze may suggest to you something that you may find useful in your own journey through life.

I was the first woman to burn my bra – it took the fire department four days to put it out.

Life is the childhood of our immortality.

How can any man be weak who dares to be at all?

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.

I’ll never, ever be full. I’ll always be hungry. Obviously, I’m not talking about food. Growing up, I had nothing for such a long time. Someone told me a long time ago, and I’ve never forgotten it, ‚Once you’ve ever been hungry, really, really hungry, then you’ll never, ever be full.‘

Injustice in the end produces independence.

I began writing at the age of 5, but there was a dark period between the ages of 8 and 16 when I didn’t write. I started again at 16 and have no idea why, but it was suddenly the only thing I wanted to do.

The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection.

Every one of my regrets has produced a song I’m proud of.

The first forty years of life give us the text; the next thirty supply the commentary on it.

I can very well do without God both in my life and in my painting, but I cannot, suffering as I am, do without something which is greater than I am, which is my life, the power to create.

Any lady who is first lady likes being first lady. I don’t care what they say, they like it.

I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be the inferior sex.

I approach love differently now that I know it’s hard for it to work out.

People always say when they meet me that I’m not what they expect. I assume they think I’m this super dark and depressing guy, but I like to channel all of those emotions into my work.