A man who has not passed through the inferno of his passions has never overcome them.

People say you have to hit rock bottom, and, I can tell you, almost dying is as rock bottom as it gets.

I realize I don’t do a very good job in keeping up to date, but I try to.

The fact is I am not having sex. But I feel absolutely ripe for the, what would you say? plucking?

Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.

I let people fill in the blanks on their own. If they want to think about their ex, that’s fine. If they want to think about maybe who one of my exes is, then that’s fine. And it might not be right, because I’m the only one who knows what these songs are really about. It’s the one shred of privacy I have in the matter.

What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.

It’s amazing: I am a New Yorker. It’s strange; I never thought I would be.

My lectures, based on Islamic teachings, were on various subjects. Some of the titles were, ‚The Intoxication of Life,‘ ‚The Purpose of Life,‘ ‚The Real Cause of Man’s Distress,‘ ‚The Journey to the Goal in Life,‘ and, one of my favorites, ‚The Heart of Man.‘ They contained important insights that spoke to something deep inside me.

I think happiness is a goal all of us can agree on. Let’s face it – we all would like to be happy.

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.

When you begin to worry, go find something to do. Get busy being a blessing to someone; do something fruitful. Talking about your problem or sitting alone, thinking about it, does no good; it serves only to make you miserable. Above all else, remember that worrying is totally useless. Worrying will not solve your problem.

Being humble matters.

I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.

If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun.

I don’t write so much now. I’m getting on 33, pot belly and creeping dementia.

My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically.

I used to go away for weeks in a state of confusion.

It is after all the greatest art to limit and isolate oneself.

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.

I’m not talent. Not considered ‚talent‘ by Lifetime. I’d like to say I’m their savior, but that would be cocky.

Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession.

You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.

Every man’s memory is his private literature.

An individual step in character training is to put responsibility on the individual.

We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our education system.

The need to be right is the sign of a vulgar mind.

The simple act of paying attention can take you a long way.

I think my vice would be outdoing myself.

I feel like my music has become a lot of things. It’s hard to label the evolution, but I like there to be an evolution. I just like to paint with all different kinds of colors.

The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.

Invest three percent of your income in yourself (self-development) in order to guarantee your future.

You have people come into your life shockingly and surprisingly. You have losses that you never thought you’d experience. You have rejection and you have learn how to deal with that and how to get up the next day and go on with it.

Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them.

I am sure as everyone knows that I am not the happiest if I don’t do a good job in qualifying or the race.

No one has the right to be sorry for himself for a misfortune that strikes everyone.

A man is what he thinks about all day long.

If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.

Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down.

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion.

I resigned from the Marine Corps and flying in 1974, even though I loved them both. I quit because I no longer wanted to fight for peace. Instead, I believe we can build a more sustainable peace by working for prosperity.

I was ironing my own clothes when I was 11 years old. My mental strength goes back to those days.

I’m aware that, whatever the circumstances, there will always be speculation about me.

The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.

We have all had the experience of finding that our reactions and perhaps even our deeds have denied beliefs we thought were ours.

What a blind person needs is not a teacher but another self.

For some reason I did something where I realized I could get a reaction. That was when I broke out of my shell at school, because I really didn’t have any friends or anything like that and I just kind of was going along, and then finally I did this zany thing, and all of a sudden I had tons of friends.

It didn’t even occur to me that I’m the last person in the world who should play salsa or Brazilian music.

Before you start a goal – let’s take care of our insecurities because they are going to surface when you put yourself in the crucible and you’re suffering.

Don’t get older just to get wiser. If you get older, you will be wiser, I believe that – if you dare. But get older because it’s fun!

I more fear what is within me than what comes from without.

Nothing will work unless you do.

I have so much in my life. I want to be of value to the world.

I think so many people live their whole life in fear and doubt and shame.

If you don’t know your full-throttle history, the whole story of how you came to where you are, it’s kind of hard to put things together.

It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.

I’m the kind of person who needs to feel like everything happens for a reason. When you date a guy and it goes badly, that’s horrible. But if you can write a song about it, then it was worth it.

I’m not intimidated by how people perceive me.

Many people feel so pressured by the expectations of others that it causes them to be frustrated, miserable and confused about what they should do. But there is a way to live a simple, joy-filled, peaceful life, and the key is learning how to be led by the Holy Spirit, not the traditions or expectations of man.

You can’t do something forever.