“In youth we run into difficulties. In old age difficulties run into us.”

As soon as I arrive at the house, Laurie starts running, hits my chest, knocks me down, and licks my face. It’s become a family ritual.

Why let one high C ruin your whole evening?

Opera is music AND drama. I’m prepared to sacrifice the beautiful note for the meaningful sound any time…

I can’t be happy every day but I can be cheerful.

There are an awful lot of skinny people in the cemetery.

The last major childhood disease remains and it’s the worst of them all: nuclear war.

I really do believe I can accomplish a great deal with a big grin, I know some people find that disconcerting, but that doesn’t matter.

I know that anybody who does all this and doesn’t have to, everything thinks she’s very driven. The truth is, I enjoy it all so! Can’t it be that simple?

When you’re in love, the whole world is Jewish.

There is no short cut to a place worth going.

I can make a pretty tone as well as anyone, but there are times when the drama of a scene demands the opposite of a pretty sound.

Art is the signature of civilizations.

I’ve always tried to be cheerful, because I think people who whine are boring, and I never could tolerate bores.

I never share credit or desserts.

There is something in me-I just can’t stand to admit defeat.

My voice had a long, nonstop career. It deserves to be put to bed with quiet and dignity, not yanked out every once in a while to see if it can still do what it used to do. It can’t.

We’re a little bit competitive and we want to make sure we’re on the top. We’re all working for the same goal as all these bands, we want to come out on top and I think we have accomplished that in a lot of ways.

I think I’m getting better at being verbal. I used to have a lot of problems with it. I had my own little demons that I was fighting, and I used the banjo as an escape.

When you change showrunners, it’s like getting divorced and getting remarried.

I see that the greatest thing about getting older is how your judgment changes and how you come to understand the cycles of life. And you keep having these amazing flashes of understanding.

It was a weird mix of emotions. One day, your best friend could be killed. The day before, you could be celebrating him getting a brand-new bike.

I’m happy that I can focus on my body a little bit. I’m not happy to get surgery, but I’m happy that I can focus on getting better.

It’s a short letter – all she said was, ‘Hey, since it’s harder for you to go out these days without getting photographed, here $10 for a pizza.’ I was like, ‘Aww, she sent me money for a pizza so I could eat at home!’

Every day I’m getting shaped and molded. Keepin’ on, being a better artist, and improving on this, improving on that.