Whatever that means, however you got on that mountain, why not try to climb it? And do it in your own way.

If you pour your life into songs, you want them to be heard. It’s a desire to communicate. A deep desire to communicate inspires songwriting.

I was impressed with what someone like Karl Lagerfeld built and did and the house that he made, but there was never really a female figure I wanted to emulate.

I don’t look at my old work. I mean, they made nice books; the books were made without me, the one from last year and the one from this year. I – personally, I’m not interested in my own past. I’m only interested in today – perhaps tomorrow.

And die of nothing but a rage to live.

I write some country music. There’s a song called ‚I Hope You Dance.‘ Incredible. I was going to write that poem; somebody beat me to it.

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

In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.

Early on in my life, I had a broken soul. I was abused by my father, abandoned by my mother and ended up in a destructive first marriage. By the time I was 23, I was broken in my soul. I didn’t know how to think right. I felt wrong about everything. But God stepped into my life, and I came out on the other side and didn’t even smell like smoke.

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention.

Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.

It was clear to me that if I could get through Princeton at the top of my class, I could do anything in the world.

The longer I live, the more I feel that true repose consists in ‚renouncing‘ one’s own self, by which I mean making up one’s mind to admit that there is no importance whatever in being ‚happy‘ or ‚unhappy‘ in the usual meaning of the words.

The way to develop decisiveness is to start right where you are, with the very next question you face.

Adversity has ever been considered the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself.

We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers – but never blame yourself. It’s never your fault. But it’s always your fault, because if you wanted to change you’re the one who has got to change.

When I am working on a book or a story, I write every morning as soon after first light as possible. There is no one to disturb you, and it is cool or cold, and you come to your work and warm as you write.

Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

Control and surrender have to be kept in balance. That’s what surfers do – take control of the situation, then be carried, then take control. In the last few thousand years, we’ve become incredibly adept technically. We’ve treasured the controlling part of ourselves and neglected the surrendering part.

For me, education was power.

The greatest magnifying glasses in the world are a man’s own eyes when they look upon his own person.

Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.

Conflict cannot survive without your participation.

Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it impossible for anyone to accomplish.

How does a nice Catholic girl end up going to prison for a year? It’s crazy. I’ve made mistakes. I have to pay for those mistakes.

Once someone has spent enough time cultivating bad habits and biding their time, they are much diminished. Much of what they could have been has dissipated.

I exhort you also to take part in the great combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every other earthly conflict.

Success is like reaching an important birthday and finding you’re exactly the same.

It’s rule number one, really – beating your teammate.

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.

I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that decision.

She never envisioned a legal career for me, but she did think it was very important that I be able to support myself, and I think she would be pleased to see what has become of me.

How do I confront aging? With a wonder and a terror. Yeah, I’ll say that. Wonder and terror.

I had my moments of being humiliated, and then I had moments of doing something humiliating. I’m glad I lived out both roles.

A man is but the product of his thoughts, what he thinks he becomes.

The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself.

Music is the voice that tells us that the human race is greater than it knows.

I find only freedom in the realms of eccentricity.

I am not very good with relationships. With anyone. I can’t be locked up with anyone for too long.

Learning about climate change triggered my depression in the first place. But it was also what got me out of my depression, because there were things I could do to improve the situation. I don’t have time to be depressed anymore.

People who pity themselves think, ‚Why would I try to do anything? I’ll just fail.‘

You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.

Our will is always for our own good, but we do not always see what that is.

It’s like, remember who you always were, where you came from, who your parents were, how they raised you. Because that authentic self is going to follow you all through life, so make sure that it’s solid so it’s something that you can hold on and be proud of for the rest of your life.

What is once well done is done forever.

It is better to be alone than in bad company.

I ain’t never far away from a pencil and paper or a tape recorder.

Whenever you’re going through a tough time, generally, you become more compassionate, you become softer, you become more thoughtful, kinder. These are all spiritual qualities that will help you to align yourself with God and God consciousness rather than with a split fear-based consciousness.

I feel that God wants me to coach; otherwise, he wouldn’t have put the desire in me.

Everything rises and falls on leadership.

Thanks to my reading, I have never been caught flat-footed by any situation, never at a loss for how any problem has been addressed… It doesn’t give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead.

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.

You can’t go backward in life.

The final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.

To remain a credible leader, I must always work first, hardest, and longest on changing myself. This is neither easy nor natural, but it is essential.

All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea.

Never lose a holy curiosity.

We will move forward, we will move upward, and yes, we will move onward.

You have to put in many, many, many tiny efforts that nobody sees or appreciates before you achieve anything worthwhile.

Without football, my life is worth nothing.