#inspiration

"Let people be the pursuits of happiness, you be the pursuit of perfection."

"Pay attention to the intricate patterns of your existence that you take for granted."

"I'm not in search of sanctity, sacredness, purity; these things are found after this life, not in this life; but in this life I search to be completely human: to feel, to give, to take, to laugh, to get lost, to be found, to dance, to love and to lust, to be so human."

"Take responsibility for your own happiness, do not expect people or things to bring you happiness, or you could be disappointed."

"And now that its ruby eyes are set into the gold, you cannot see their tear-shape, so they seem to be laughing rather than crying. It is a constant reminder to me of the human ability to create something beautiful even when things are at the darkest."

"Reading, conversation, environment, culture, heroes, mentors, nature – all are lottery tickets for creativity. Scratch away at them and you’ll find out how big a prize you’ve won."

"A deadline is negative inspiration. Still, it's better than no inspiration at all."

"Don't blow off another's candle for it won't make yours shine brighter."

"Don’t hide what you have just because people tell you it’s not normal. I have known normal people…and guess what? They are as boring as hell..."

"I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp."

"I dream my painting and I paint my dream."

"We train the mind so that we can enjoy greater peace, happiness, wisdom & equanimity."

"The best of humanity's recorded history is a creative balance between horrors endured and victories achieved, and so it was during the Harlem Renaissance."

"There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose."

"People who work in an environment where doing their best is recognized have a better chance of feeling good about their work."

"Circumstances are the seeds of literature."

"You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write."

"God doesn't like it when we ask Him for the smallest things, dare to make your dream so big that He can conveniently fit into it and make your dream come true."

"It is the most fun I’m ever going to have. I love to write. I love it. I mean, there’s nothing in the world I like better, and that includes sex, probably because I’m so very bad at it. It’s the greatest peace when I’m in a scene, and it’s just me and the character, that’s it, that’s where I want to live my life."

"A man who denies his past is a man who truly denies himself a future, for he refuses to know himself, and to deny knowledge of oneself is to stumble through life as handicapped as the blind mute."