“The essence of being human is that, in the brief moment we exist on this spinning planet, we can love some persons and some things, in spite of the fact that time and death will ultimately claim us all.”

Intimacy requires courage because risk is inescapable. We cannot know at the outset how the relationship will affect us. Like a chemical mixture, if one of us is changed, both of us will be. Will we grow in self-actualization, or will it destroy us?

In my clinical experience, the greatest block to a person’s development is his having to take on a way of life which is not rooted in his own powers.

Depression is the inability to construct a future.

Every human being must have a point at which he stands against the culture, where he says, “This is me and the world be damned!” Leaders have always been the ones to stand against the society – Socrates, Christ, Freud, all the way down the line.

It is well to remind ourselves that anxiety signifies a conflict, and so long as a conflict is going on, a constructive solution is possible.

The first thing necessary for a constructive dealing with time is to learn to live in the reality of the present moment. For psychologically speaking, this present moment is all we have.

Creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitations, the latter (like the river banks) forcing the spontaneity into the various forms which are essential to the work of art or poem.

Religion is whatever the individual takes to be his ultimate concern. One’s religious attitude is to be found at that point where he has a conviction that there are values in human existence worth living and dying for.

Forge in the smithy of your soul.

Ecstasy is the accurate term for the intensity of consciousness that occurs in the creative act.

It is dangerous to know, but it is more dangerous not to know.

The purpose of psychotherapy is to set people free.

Apathy adds up, in the long run, to cowardice.

Joy, rather than happiness, is the goal of life, for joy is the emotion which accompanies our fulfilling our natures as human beings. It is based on the experience of one’s identity as a being of worth and dignity.

A myth is a way of making sense in a senseless world. Myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence.

Memory is not just the imprint of the past time upon us; it is the keeper of what is meaningful for our deepest hopes and fears.

I had a friend who had two degrees of being made up: when invited I would say ‘Can I make up?’ and he would say ‘Oh yes – tinted?’, or he would say, ‘Oh yes – clotted?’

I always like hair being a little messy because I think there’s something appealing about the whimsy of putting on a gown with any hair or make-up – just stepping into it, and you’re ready.

I don’t think you can really be proud of being gay because it isn’t something you’ve done. You can only be proud of not being ashamed.

Being humble matters.

Being is desirable because it is identical with Beauty, and Beauty is loved because it is Being.

I can’t believe we’re being paid to live in New York.

I’m so used to being within 10 minutes of my family.

I love being on stage, I love being able to tell a story, I love the fact that the audience listens and laughs at it. It makes me happy, and it’s what I live for.