“Unfortunately, there's no getting around it: people have to work for their happiness. We go into battle every day, and we have to work to be happy. It just isn't handed over to us, as much as we wish it was.”

“Remember, pain is just the messenger dat happiness is comin', Miss Charlotte. So beez happy.”

“A little sadness is good for everyone. It's da only way ya gets to happiness. If you happy all da time, you gots nuttin' to compare it wit. No, sorrow is a gift, Charlotte. You takes it, you tip your hat to it, an' den ya moves on. But ya gots to acknoledge it or else it will have ya fo breakfast. Give sadness its due and move on.”

“The nighttime sky is all about yesterday. The light that you're seeing from the stars happened millions of years ago. Looking at the night sky is like looking at the past. But the morning sky, on the other hand, is right now. It is in the present and holds the hope of a brand new day and so many new opportunities-- to live, to be happy.”

“At my very lowest, just when I believed unhappiness would eat me alive, I surrendered. I didn't suddenly become happy all at once; it took time. But I grew through the pain, grew to a place where I finally found understanding, and through understanding I found peace.”

“She didn't want pity. Just to love a man and have a man love her. This was nothing to apologize for or feel weak or needy about. It just was.”

“Find the love inside of yourself, and the rest will follow. I promise you this with every inch of my being. I know this much is true, and I've got the scars to prove it.”