“Is exactly in the difficult moments that you have to clench your teeth so as not to give up the grip that keeps you alive.”

“Is the perseverance you have in keeping your ideas alive.”

“Give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is, and allow yourself to be exactly as you are.”

“Here is some advice. If you want to keep your own teeth, make your own sandwiches ….”

“I had a woman the other day who came up and complained to me that she has to pay $200 a month for her prescriptions… I said, in other words, this $200 a month keeps you alive, she goes yes. I said, and you're complaining that you're paying $200 a month and it keeps you alive? What's your cable bill? I mean, what's your cell phone bill? Because she had a cell phone. And how can you say that you complain that you have $200 to keep you alive and that's a problem? No, that's a blessing!”

“Self-interest must be sacrificed if you wish to keep your marriage alive, or to keep your significant one attracted to your attributes.”

“You know the bad thing about being a survivor… You keep having to get into difficult situations in order to show off your gift.”

“Fear is like a fire in your belly. Controlled, it warms you and keeps you alive. Uncontrolled, it burns and destroys you.”

“It’s important, therefore, to know who the real enemy is, and to know the function, the very serious function of racism, which is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and so you spend 20 years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says that you have no art so you dredge that up. Somebody says that you have no kingdoms and so you dredge that up. None of that is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”

“Keep working. Keep trying. Keep believing. You still might not make it, but at least you gave it your best shot. If you don’t have calluses on your soul, this isn’t for you. Take up knitting instead.”