“Whining is not only graceless, but can be dangerous. It can alert a brute that a victim is in the neighborhood.”

“You can only become great at something you are willing to sacrifice for”

“Poetry puts starch in your backbone so you can stand, so you can compose your life.”

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”

“No one can take the place of a friend, no one.”

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.(Popular misquote of "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.")”