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The very first thing I tell my new students on the first day of a workshop is that good writing is about telling the truth. We are a species that need...more

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Laughter is carbonated holiness.

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I think joy and sweetness and affection are a spiritual path. We're here to know God, to love and serve God, and to be blown away by the beauty and mi...more

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I naively believe that self-love is 80 percent of the solution, that it helps beyond words to take yourself through the day as you would with your mos...more

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Resentments make even the best of us feel superior.

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Some aching beauty comes with huge loss, although maybe not right away, when it would be helpful. Life is a very powerful force, despite the constant ...more

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You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.

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Your problem is how you are going to spend this one and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and c...more

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E.L. Doctorow said once said that 'Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the wh...more

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Perfectionism means that you try not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived.

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Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.

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It is hard to remember that you are a cherished spiritual being when you're burping up apple fritters and Cheetos.

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I realized I was going to get through this disappointing service, and anyway, you have to be somewhere: better here, where I have heard truth spoken s...more

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Help" is a prayer that is always answered. It doesn't matter how you pray--with your head bowed in silence, or crying out in grief, or dancing. Church...more

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...most of the time, all you have is the moment, and the imperfect love of the people around you.