If we were not all so interested in ourselves, life would be so uninteresting that none of us would be able to endure it.

I’ve done some analysis of the biblical stories as part of my psychological work. I knew that I had more to do, and every time I’ve done it, it’s been extremely valuable. It makes me a better teacher because I have a richer understanding of cultural history.

I was asked to act when I couldn’t act. I was asked to sing ‚Funny Face‘ when I couldn’t sing, and dance with Fred Astaire when I couldn’t dance – and do all kinds of things I wasn’t prepared for. Then I tried like mad to cope with it.

It’s only I have seen enough of it and the funny thing is now, I know that I’m skinny, because I know there are even smaller clothes in the store. I think I’m big, when I was big, I never thought about it.

It definitely has learning a lesson about the way you’re living your life. I wouldn’t compare our movie to that, but it has a structure where it’s about a man who doesn’t appreciate all that he has and finds out at the end that life has been great and he has to enjoy that.

Honestly, I’ve been thinking lately about how boring I am. When I do get time to myself, I watch TV.

Follow that will and that way which experience confirms to be your own.

Really, the only thing that makes sense is to strive for greater collective enlightenment.

The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.

I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.

I think that I am better than the people who are trying to reform me.

Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.

Here comes 40. I’m feeling my age and I’ve ordered the Ferrari. I’m going to get the whole mid-life crisis package.

Every day I try to be in communication with the universe in an unconscious way.

The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.

The young think that failure is the Siberian end of the line, banishment from all the living, and tend to do what I then did – which was to hide.

The fame thing is interesting because I never wanted to be famous, and I never dreamt I would be famous.

We’re so trendy we can’t even escape ourselves.

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

I’m not good at talking about myself.

Somebody’s boring me. I think it’s me.

A man who is not afraid is not aggressive, a man who has no sense of fear of any kind is really a free, a peaceful man.

One of the many lessons that one learns in prison is, that things are what they are and will be what they will be.

That is my wish, hope, instruction for all of you: Take your education seriously, okay? Always do that. Because I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for my education.

Begin to see yourself as a soul with a body rather than a body with a soul.

I’m not intelligent. I’m not arrogant. I’m just like the people who read my books. I used to have a jazz club, and I made the cocktails and I made the sandwiches. I didn’t want to become a writer – it just happened.

When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty.

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.

Our soul is cast into a body, where it finds number, time, dimension. Thereupon it reasons, and calls this nature necessity, and can believe nothing else.

I experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful. I am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream.

Fame doesn’t fulfill you. It warms you a bit, but that warmth is temporary.

We rarely confide in those who are better than we are.

The highest result of education is tolerance.

I have nothing to ask but that you would remove to the other side, that you may not, by intercepting the sunshine, take from me what you cannot give.

I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing.

You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.

It’s a philosophy of life. A practice. If you do this, something will change, what will change is that you will change, your life will change, and if you can change you, you can perhaps change the world.

Beware the barrenness of a busy life.

Do not keep saying to yourself, if you can possibly avoid it, ‚But how can it be like that?‘ because you will get ‚down the drain,‘ into a blind alley from which nobody has yet escaped. Nobody knows how it can be like that.

You can’t go backward in life.

One of my big goals as a human being is to continue to write what’s really happening to me, even if it’s a tough pill to swallow for people around me… I do fear that if I ever were to have someone in my life who mattered, I would second-guess every one of my lyrics.

No man ever prayed heartily without learning something.

The power for creating a better future is contained in the present moment: You create a good future by creating a good present.

Forget the past.

You can’t talk your way out of problems you behave yourself into.

I’m almost like three people. There’s me the, Dolly, the person. There’s me, the star. And then there’s me, the manager.

I cry so much less than I used to. I used to be one of the most teary people.

I’m not convinced that women have the education or the sense of their own history enough or that they understand the cruelty of which men are capable and the delight that many men will take in seeing you choose to chain yourself – then they get to say ‚See, you did it yourself.‘

Let us be absolutely clear about one thing: we must not confuse humility with false modesty or servility.

The devil is a peace stealer, and he works hard to set us up to get upset. But we can learn how to change our approach so we don’t live upset all of the time. And Jesus gives us the best example to follow.

Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.

The only real progress lies in learning to be wrong all alone.

College isn’t in everyone’s hearts. I am living proof, though, that school doesn’t mess up your plans. It gives you more experiences to write about.

I was so rude when I was a little girl.

I have surrounded myself with very smart people.

You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment.

Partition is bad. But whatever is past is past. We have only to look to the future.

As a lifestyle you always being the focal point is innately unhealthy.

But at any rate, the point is that God is what nobody admits to being, and everybody really is.

The best author will be the one who is ashamed to become a writer.

I found it hard to be young. When I was married in my twenties, I hated being regarded as ‚the little wife.‘ You don’t know what it was like then! I’d never even written a cheque. I had to ask my husband for money for groceries.