“It’s the secret to happiness, you know. Only take what you need.”

I love actors and I love to create an environment where they feel safe to connect and thrive and try things.

Some artists never see their work in front of an audience.

Women move through the world never knowing their power.

With full knowledge that the person you married has agreed.

We girls, on the other hand, aim really high. We take a leap.

I cannot unravel the difference between love in my family and the preparation of food because they are so closely woven.

And I knew that the roots of imagery were the senses – and that if my readers could feel.

I love rhinestones, faux jewelry.

The most precious research to me came from the paperwork filed on behalf of my grandparents and great-grandfather.

Food was celebration, conversation, and nourishment.

One person is all it takes to give a kid confidence.

I am in total silence when I write.

You can’t know if you’ll be here tomorrow or a year from now.

I look at my roommates who are so proud of me that it makes me proud.

And so, when I was a young writer I always worked hard on imagery.

When people are filled to the brim with love, they are their most beautiful.

You usually take it for granted and think you know us, but our history is far stranger than you suspect, and we are not what we seem.

Yet what it takes to win races is the ability to reach inside and pull out something to keep you going – no, to go faster – when you have nothing left to give.

It takes a great deal of history to produce a little literature.

The longer it takes you to select a cantaloupe, the worse it is!

The earth is bread we take and eat.

Take it off, baby, take it all off. I want you the way you came into the world.

I’m not the one or two take guy, but I’m not the 20, 30, 50, 70 take guy either. If I do a bunch of takes, like more than five or six, it’s usually for some technical reasons.

You can’t please everybody. You’d be crazy if you’re trying to. So take some time out to do some things for yourself.