“Write, write, write! Get your you-know-what in the chair and write more books: write the books of your heart and don’t let stress steal your joy.”

“If you’re afraid you can’t write, the answer is to write. Every sentence you construct adds weight to the balance pan. If you’re afraid of what other people will think of your efforts, don’t show them until you write your way beyond your fear. If writing a book is impossible, write a chapter. If writing a chapter is impossible, write a page. If writing a page is impossible, write a paragraph. If writing a paragraph is impossible, write a sentence. If writing even a sentence is impossible, write a word and teach yourself everything there is to know about that word and then write another, connected word and see where their connection leads.”

“Look for your heros in the books people write, not in the people who write books.”

“Write what will stop your breath if you don’t write.”

“You can know all about a person from the things they collect, the books on their shelves, the chairs in their parlor. … Let me into your house; I could write your life story.”

“Don’t let your pride write a check your heart can’t pay for.”