"The first two books that I did by myself were long stories in verse. I knew I could do that because I'd written a lot in verse. But, verse stories are hard to sell, so my editor encouraged me to try writing in prose."

"Wisdom principle 54 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 67."

"Wisdom principle 44 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 61."

"It is a humble truth that the distance between ambition and reality is bridged solely by consistent effort — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves - you can get a complete education for no money. At the end of 10 years, I had read every book in the library and I'd written a thousand stories."

"Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study."

"Ninety percent of the students take the 'preferred lender.' Why? Because that's the nature of the relationship. You trust the school. The school is in a position of authority."

"For every successful actor or actress, there are countless numbers who don't make it. The name of the game is rejection. You go to an audition and you're told you're too tall or you're too Irish or your nose is not quite right. You're rejected for your education, you're rejected for this or that and it's really tough."