One of the most challenging aspects of writing a memoir is finding your own voice, and you should be very careful about being influenced by someone else’s voice.
Dad was a philosopher and had what he called his Theory of Purpose, which held that everything in life had a purpose, and unless it achieved that purpose, it was just taking up space on the planet and wasting everybody’s time.
I never had any question that my parents loved me. I had a real sense of self confidence.
She never felt sorry for herself, and that was something I decided I admired most in people.
Years from now, when all the junk they got is broken and long forgotten, you’ll still have your stars.
Don’t you make fun of me or my children! Some babies are premature. Mine were all postmature. That’s why they’re so smart. Their brains had longer to develop.
Anyone who thinks he’s too small to make a difference has never been bit by a mosquito.
New Yorkers, I figured, just pretended to be unfriendly.
It was good work, the kind of work that let you sleep soundly at night and, when you awoke, look forward to the day.
Mom could say that in hindsight, but it seemed to me that when you were in the middle of something, it was awful hard to figure out what part of it was God’s will and what wasn’t.
Maybe I should have cut him some slack. With his broken wing and lifetime of eating roadkill, he probably had a lot to be ungrateful about. Too much hard luck can create a permanent meanness of spirit in any creature.
People are like animals. Some are happiest penned in, some need to roam free. You go to recognize what’s in her nature and accept it.
The dangerous falls were the ones that happened so fast you didn’t have time to react.
If you don’t think you’re hurt, then you aren’t.
My life is not just about the past.
Everything in life is gray, you know.
Confidence doesn’t come from thinking you’re perfect or flawless. That’s arrogance. Confidence comes from appreciating the beauty of your texture.
Optimism is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
You can’t prepare for everything life’s going to throw at you. And you can’t avoid danger. It’s there. The world is a dangerous place, and if you sit around wringing your hands about it, you’ll out on all the adventure.
Teaching is a calling too. And I’ve always thought that teachers in their way are holy – angels leading their flocks out of the darkness.