It was completely fruitless to quarrel with the world, whereas the quarrel with oneself was occasionally fruitful and always, she had to admit, interesting.

I always tell young girls, surround yourself with goodness. I learned early on how to get the haters out of my life.

I’ve always had a problem with the average macho man – they’ve always been a threat to me.

I’m one of them guys that tries to make everything the best of the best, so sometimes I’m out of control with it.

I’ve watched a lot of people who became famous who completely change and I think it’s because they tend to believe all the hype that’s out there. I don’t think there’s that much hype about me.

I don’t look at myself as a commodity, but I’m sure a lot of people have.

As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.

Our brains are either our greatest assets or our greatest liabilities.

One of the most important decisions you’ll ever make is choosing the kind of universe you exist in: is it helpful and supportive or hostile and unsupportive? Your answer to this question will make all the difference in terms of how you live your life and what kind of Divine assistance you attract.

A wise man is cured of ambition by ambition itself; his aim is so exalted that riches, office, fortune and favour cannot satisfy him.

I do suffer from depression, I suppose. Which isn’t that unusual. You know, a lot of people do.

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.

We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.

No matter how dull, or how mean, or how wise a man is, he feels that happiness is his indisputable right.

I like to write about love and love lost because I feel like there are so many different subcategories of emotions that you can possibly delve into.

To live is to think.

I’m never going to be fast, and nobody will ever mistake me for being fast.

I’m kind of fascist with myself, you know.

The highest reward that God gives us for good work is the ability to do better work.

The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds.

I need to keep working on myself for a while.

I wouldn’t say that I am one of the greatest dancers, but I am really quite good at what I do.

Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small in it. Far the greatest things grow by God’s law out of the smallest. But to live your life, you must discipline it.

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

Man can hardly even recognize the devils of his own creation.

To accuse others for one’s own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one’s education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one’s education is complete.

Everything that enlarges the sphere of human powers, that shows man he can do what he thought he could not do, is valuable.

Night brings our troubles to the light, rather than banishes them.

Marriage destroyed my relationship with two wonderful men.

While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.

We acquire the strength we have overcome.

If you look at my life, generally, I’ve been put in situations which were difficult and which I conquered.

I have a great deal of company in the house, especially in the morning when nobody calls.

If anything is certain, it is that I myself am not a Marxist.

You say that you are my judge; I do not know if you are; but take good heed not to judge me ill, because you would put yourself in great peril.

I made bad decisions. I’m not denying that I made bad decisions.

To add value to others, one must first value others.

The real truths of life are never entirely new to you or to anybody because there is a level deep down within you where you already know all the things, all those spiritual truths that you read or hear, and then recognize them. I say ‚recognize‘ because you’re not… it’s not new.

I think life is a matter of choices and that wherever we are, good or bad, is because of choices we make.

Whenever I write a novel, I have a strong sense that I am doing something I was unable to do before. With each new work, I move up a step and discover something new inside me.

The world around me has changed, and I have learned to adapt but not change. But I’m changing into the woman I am meant to be.

I’ve always been – you know, my personality is motivating and encouraging. And so I’m just being who God made me to be.

Always do whatever’s next.

I knew ‚Crenshaw‘ had elevated me and distinguished me.

I’d like to think you don’t stop being creative once you get happy.

I want to solidify as an artist and show that as I grow as a person and make mistakes and learn from them, I’m going to grow artistically.

Every now and then I read a poem that does touch something in me, but I never turn to poetry for solace or pleasure in the way that I throw myself into prose.

When you cease to exist, then who will you blame?

To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.

With mindfulness, you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of life that are available in that moment.

When I was married, I definitely went through a lying period.

My goal is to entertain myself and others.

Some virtues are only seen in affliction and others only in prosperity.

Whatever you are, be a good one.

When I came into this industry, I was never afraid to be myself.

When I was writing ‚Kitchen Confidential,‘ I was in my 40s, I had never paid rent on time, I was 10 years behind on my taxes, I had never owned my own furniture or a car.

I always keep my guard up with guys and I guess that can get in the way sometimes. I can make them go through hell.

Many people, especially young people, would like to be more independent and on their own. But it is very difficult and they suffer from feelings of isolation. I think that is one reason why young readers support my work.

You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.

I’m very at ease, and I like it. I never thought I would be such a family-oriented guy; I didn’t think that was part of my makeup. But somebody said that as you get older you become the person you always should have been, and I feel that’s happening to me. I’m rather surprised at who I am, because I’m actually like my dad!