My mother made me truly appreciate women.

The only big things I’ve purchased are my dad’s heart valve and a Rolls-Royce for my parents, for their anniversary. And that was only because my dad had a Lady Gaga license plate on our old car and it was making me crazy because he was getting followed everywhere, so I bought him a new car.

There are things around, and I know where they can be got quite easily, but I quite like waking up to the sunshine.

When I was growing up, my family was so poor we couldn’t afford to pay attention.

Jeb Bush, I appreciate you. You a leader. You a Bush.

One time, this guy was bothering my mother, and me and my brothers had a stern talking with the guy and a little bit of physicality with him. So he disappeared. But I’m not a magician.

Being ‚contented‘ ought to mean in English, as it does in French, being pleased. Being content with an attic ought not to mean being unable to move from it and resigned to living in it; it ought to mean appreciating all there is in such a position.

He that raises a large family does, indeed, while he lives to observe them, stand a broader mark for sorrow; but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure too.

In our home there was always prayer – aloud, proud and unapologetic.

What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.

I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sundays… and my father used to wait outside. One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God. For me, at least, it got in the way.

Women love us for our defects. If we have enough of them, they will forgive us everything, even our gigantic intellects.

My whole family are hams. They’re storytellers and everyone outdoes the next one.

My mother was Catholic, my father was Protestant. There was always a debate going on at home – I think in those days we called them arguments – about who was right and who was wrong.

When we tell the story of our own conversion, I would have it done with great sorrow, remembering what we used to be, and with great joy and gratitude, remembering how little we deserve these things.

Acting is just a way of making a living, the family is life.

John D. Rockefeller apparently became more of a tightwad the richer he got. I don’t know if it is true, but one story I read was about one of his sons having to wear his older sister’s clothes in order to save money.

Men and women may form associations for and among themselves and be governed by stipulations that are mutually acceptable.

Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.

I certainly know that I would not be able to survive if it were not for the fact that I am being upheld by the prayers of so many people.

I think there’s more women that watch me than men, but I don’t look at myself as just a minister to women. My ministry began that way, but I really feel like the Word of God is for everybody.

Whoever does not regard what he has as most ample wealth, is unhappy, though he be master of the world.

That summer after the draft was probably the most fun I’ve ever had, because all I had to do every day was wake up and go work out for four or five hours. I got to play some golf, which I love to do, too, and then got to hang out with my family.

Zappa was very technical and impressed by things that were musically challenging – weird time signatures, strange keys, awkward chord sequences. Zappa was important to me as an example of everything I didn’t want to do. I’m very grateful to him, actually.

The land of my fathers. My fathers can have it.

The truth is, I often like women. I like their unconventionality. I like their completeness. I like their anonymity.

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

If a man’s character is to be abused there’s nobody like a relative to do the business.

Happiness is within the reach of everyone, rich or poor. Yet comparatively few people are happy. I believe the reason for this is that the majority don’t recognize happiness even when it is within their grasp.

I’ve always loved black culture; I don’t know any other way to put it. Since I was a kid I loved music and early jazz, Sly and the Family Stone. I’m older – I’m in my early 50s – so you’ll have to excuse me. That was always very exciting to me to connect to the culture on that level.

My mom and I have always been there for each other. We had some tough times, but she was always there for me.

My whole family have all been through a difficult time. My focus is my children, our children.

I’ve always liked older ladies, ever since my mother would have B’nai B’rith at our house.

Women have no sympathy and my experience of women is almost as large as Europe.

When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.

A family shares hardships and a connected history.

I’ve been a lot more into Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, which was a bit complicated for me to understand the language of each social media, because they all talk in different ways. It’s a nice way for me to tell people I appreciate them, which I forget to do sometimes.

Regarding marriage, it – somehow, it didn’t happen. One fellow in such a big family not getting married is not an issue.

Those who boast of their descent, brag on what they owe to others.

I give thanks to God and to all the people in the U.K. who have supported me over the years.

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home.

Giving is true having.

Ageing’s alright, better than the alternative, which is not being here.

All things considered, there’s nobody better for children than parents.

Man only likes to count his troubles, but he does not count his joys.

The African is my brother but he is my younger brother by several centuries.

I’d like to think that I’m a calm and sweet person. I tend to be very playful at home with my children, but in life… we have to fight our battles – our work battles, our political battles, our personal battles – and we’re focused.

We are in a wrong state of mind if we are not in a thankful state of mind.

Women tend to be more intuitive, or to admit to being intuitive, and maybe the hard science approach isn’t so attractive. The way that science is taught is very cold. I would never have become a scientist if I had been taught like that.

It’s nice, I think, when people use your music for things you didn’t think of.

There’s nothing better than having a baby. I’ve always loved children. I used to work summers at the YMCA and be in charge of, like, 30 preschool kids. I knew that when I had a child, I’d be overwhelmed, and it’s true… I can’t tell you how much my attitude has changed since we’ve got Frances. Holding my baby is the best drug in the world.

What difference does it make how much you have? What you do not have amounts to much more.

I think about the milestones from my childhood and what it will be like to watch our kids go through them. Taking Riley to her first day of school was a whirlwind. I can’t imagine what middle school is going to be like, and high school, and graduation.

You are important enough to ask and you are blessed enough to receive back.

Beauty is everywhere a welcome guest.

Even with all of the things that are so awful, if you walk into your yard and stay there looking at almost anything for five minutes, you will be stunned by how marvelous life is and how incredibly lucky we are to have it.

Because in a split second, it’s gone.

When I was a youngster I lived with different families. I nearly always felt closer to the man of the house. Maybe because I always dreamed of having a father of my own.

Whenever something went wrong when I was young – if I had a pimple or if my hair broke – my mom would say, ‚Sister mine, I’m going to make you some soup.‘ And I really thought the soup would make my pimple go away or my hair stronger.

Fashion is always of the time in which you live. It is not something standing alone. But the grand problem, the most important problem, is to rejeuvenate women. To make women look young. Then their outlook changes. They feel more joyous.