"The most difficult challenge an honest man will ever face is having to choose between duty and love.One creates a man of honorable character-a life worth dying for.The other creates a vulnerable soul that madly yearns for either death or immortality."

"Beware of giggle grins, they are highly contagious."

"Truth is, I'm generally happiest when it's just me. It's okay to be madly in love with yourself."

"Socially interacting with a storyteller can be a frustrating challenge because a portion of her awareness is constantly sorting through the details of a developing book. And while you may successfully engage in a meaningful conversation with her, an additional part of her mind is frantically sifting through descriptive lines to be used if ever she were to write this exchange down. The trouble with writers is that they are ALWAYS writing!"

"There is no such thing as constructive criticism. There is constructive advice, constructive guidance, constructive counsel, encouragement, suggestion, and instruction. Criticism, however, is not constructive but a destructive means of faultfinding that cripples all parties involved. Don't be fooled into thinking otherwise."

"Courage isn't being a dragon. Neither is it behaving like a dragon. Nor is it taking up arms to fight and defeat dragons. Courage is being a lamb standing with poise among dragons."

"Laughter isn't a sign of insanity but a shield against it."

"The road of life is paved with daily successes, a great number of them penny and nickle triumphs. Sadly, these little feats are often seen as worthless-even failures-because we dream of greater gain. Our greed keeps us focused on a gleaming pot of gold waiting at the end of some elusive rainbow. And, despairing a big loss, we fail to see the value in small achievements."

"It is a great mystery to me how the problems of others seem like simple arithmetic while my own appear as complicated as a calculus equation."

"One thing about a skunk-once you recognize the markings, you know things are gonna stink."

"As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom."

"Happiness branches from the tree of kindness, abounding with the fruit of sweet smiles."

"Sail through the good days, and on bad days pick a spot of blue sky to steer toward."

"You and I were never meant to be together, but we are. Our pairing is not unlike two electrons ignoring natural laws in order to orbit one another. Life now defies reason-quirky but beautiful."

"Mothers care in volumes of tears and earnestness of prayers and a depth of emotion others cannot fathom."

"Sometimes giving up feels like the easiest thing to do. But then the easiest thing has never produced more than a garden full of weeds."

"It's an unfortunate fact that I'm easily discouraged. But the fortunate truth is I'm stubborn as hell and near impossible to sway in my resolve."

"Most are unaware of their tremendous worth and boundless potential, despite possessing both."

"Sometimes poets expect me to think far deeper than I'm willing to dig."

"It seems my heart is made of tissue paper, I wish the world would handle it more delicately."

"We are all guilty of sin, error, and moments of sheer stupidity; none of us should be casting stones. The occasional arced pebble might be overlooked."

"No one is without troubles, without personal hardships and genuine challenges. That fact may not be obvious because most people don't advertise their woes and heartaches. But nobody, not even the purest heart, escapes life without suffering battle scars."

"My brain tends to take the scenic route. Things come to the forefront of my mind sooner or later, it just takes time."

"It is my belief that almost anyone can be had with breadcrumbs. For if you leave a trail of the right variety, your prey will come straight to you."

"You breathe.You feel.You seeand hearand smelland tasteand thinkand moveand laughand weepand healand danceand singand love.Thank your mother."

"Thoughts, quotes, and philosophies-good or bad-cause us to evaluate ourselves. And that is good."

"I may deserve your disappointment as well as a lecture and strict discipline, but what I need is your understanding, your guidance, and your unconditional love."

"Meanness is a monster that usurps your self-control because you cowardly allow it to conquer you."

"Friendship is not about ships-no matter how big and fancy and expensive the yacht is."

"Knowing the path to follow doesn't make it a breeze to step along. If every desire were only a skip, hop, and a jump away, we'd all have arrived."

"A truly humble apology works to part storm clouds, calm rough seas, and bring on the soft lights of dawn; it has the power to change a person's world."

"Fear never scaled one mountain, never stepped up on a stage, never accepted a challenge, never tilled new ground, never walked in a race; he never even dared to dream. Fear failed to slay a single dragon. Remember this before you choose to keep his company."

"Patience is seeing each step as a journey rather than seeing a journey as a thousand steps."

"Guilt cannot change you, it can only hint that there's something worth your effort to change."

"Some decisions in life naturally lead to an unhappy ending, leaving you sinking by degrees in a lake of quicksand. And, unless someone reaches to pull you out, chances are you will drown in the consequences."

"Just knowing you're not alone is often enough to kindle hope amid tragic circumstances."

"Sipping teawith gleebeneath a gooseberry tree.I wish Alice were here.Oh, my dear,do not fear,she will be."

"The fact is, the man who'd begotten me didn't want me. In his eyes I should never have been born. And perhaps that would've been best. As it was, my existence had proven to be nothing more than a nuisance for everyone. I angered my father, brought strife upon my mother, irritated my teachers, and annoyed the other children who were forced to interact with me in school. All by simply being. When you aren't loved, you aren't real. Life is cold, like the stone against my palm."

"Few realize how loud their expressions really are. Be kind with what you wordlessly say."

"He reached out for her hand and she grabbed onto his. "Eena, when you're ready to talk about it, I'll be here. That's what best friends are for. She let the tears fall. He'd never know they were for him. He'd think they were because of Derian. They held hands silently throughout the night, Ian unaware that this was by far her most tortured nightmare ever. Paradise so close, and yet completely unattainable."

"I couldn't think of anyone I'd ever felt sorry for. There were plenty of kids I was envious of. There were others I achingly admired, but that might simply be another form of jealousy. Then there were those I feared, dreaded. And the worst of them, the man who shamed me. I could see my father's angry features looming over my mother. I could clearly picture her beside him in his truck, cowering against the door while he belittled and assaulted her. I guess I did know someone I felt sorry for."

"Find much to be grateful for in every day. Doing so will not only enrich your life, it will bless those around you in ways you may never know."

"Happiness is never in a rush. If you move too fast, you leave it behind."

"The bigger the dream, the better the story."

"Kresh kept silent beside me as Baron rehearsed his deadly plan. I listened with my eyes aimed at the horizon, witnessing the night consume a final red vein of daylight. It struck me that nightfall always drowned the sunset. Never did the sun resurface from where it sank, nor would it ever."

"So what if you're right? So what if you're wrong? In the end you might be surprised to find that God doesn't care so much about whether you were right or wrong but whether, despite it all, you were kind or cruel."

"Gratitude paints little smiley faces on everything it touches."

"Those things that inspire, enthuse, and compel you should consume your life."

"Trying to fix the shortcoming of others while ignoring your own flaws results in little if no improvement-not to mention bitter feelings. Concentrating on personal growth sets a good example and results in the improvement of one life if not more."

"Eyes speak louder than words; life is precious; hate is poison; God is the best of all possible friends; silence and time are valuable treasures; happiness can be just as powerful in pretend; and soft licorice is a temptation in any color, especially exotic black."