My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive;... - Maya Angelou

"My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return."

"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."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

"Fighting for one's freedom, struggling towards being free, is like struggling to be a poet or a good Christian or a good Jew or a good Muslim or good Zen Buddhist. You work all day long and achieve some kind of level of success by nightfall, go to sleep and wake up the next morning with the job still to be done. So you start all over again."

"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass."