"Find a beautiful piece of art. If you fall in love with Van Gogh or Matisse or John Oliver Killens, or if you fall love with the music of Coltrane, the music of Aretha Franklin, or the music of Chopin - find some beautiful art and admire it, and realize that that was created by human beings just like you, no more human, no less."
"Poetry puts starch in your backbone so you can stand, so you can compose your life."
"I want to thank you, Lord, for life and all that's in it. Thank you for the day and for the hour, and the minute."
"Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness."
"I don't trust people who don't love themselves and tell me, 'I love you.' ... There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt."
"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."