“Search your own life for the story only you can tell. The best thing about writing from life is that you can be sure of using original material. And no research is needed beyond the time you spend looking deep inside your own heart.”

“I know now one must plan one’s old age as surely as one plans any other stage of life. The tragedy of Cousin Josie’s life is that she never knew what she wanted at any age—only what she did not want. She never wanted to marry nor to pursue a career, and in life, unlike grammar, double negatives do not produce an affirmative.”

“Time is a cruel thief to rob us of our former selves. We lose as much to life as we do to death.”

“Would that we could soar forever beyond the reach of earth, away from the dangers that await us the moment we alight.”

“Life causes estrangement enough—why do we add to it out of misplaced pride?”

“You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control.”

“When you give your heart to the ocean, you either drown, or spend your life wishing you had drowned.”