"I think that promoting insecurity in the form of plastic surgery is infinitely more harmful than an artistic expression related to body modification."

"Every bit of me is devoted to love and art. And I aspire to try to be a teacher to my young fans who feel just like I felt when I was younger. I just felt like a freak. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm trying to liberate them, I want to free them of their fears and make them feel that they can make their own space in the world."

"It is a steadfast truth that patience is not passive waiting; it is active endurance with a calm countenance — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"It is a humble truth that where compassion abides, fear and resentment lose their dominion."

"Love is the bridge that unites two souls across the chasms of mortal solitude. For where clarity resides, peace inevitably follows."

"Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."

"These days, our senses are bombarded with aggression. We are constantly confronted with global images of unending, escalating war and violence."

"Surely the President can agree with us, that theft from government is not good. I know it's bold. It's out on the edge. I know from a Chicago-Springfield background it's hard to fully grasp that honesty could be part of government."