"Don't be afraid to write crap - it makes the best fertilizer. The more you write the better your chances of growing something wonderful."

“What then is freedom? The power to live as one wishes.”

“I still take failure very seriously, but I've found that the only way I could overcome the feeling is to keep on working, and trying to benefit from failures or disappointments. There are always some lessons to be learned. So I keep on working.”

Source : "Presidential Medal of Freedom". Academy of Achievement Interview, www.achievement.org. April 11, 1991.

“I've played everything but a harp.”

“You find yourself refreshed in the presence of cheerful people. Why not make an honest effort to confer that pleasure on others? Half the battle is gained if you never allow yourself to say anything gloomy.”

“First off, LARDASS, you neglected to include a sign-off, forcing me to create one for you. I tried to create one that captured the spirit and tone of your letter, and I think I did pretty well. []  I am thoroughly annoyed at having my tame statements of fact-being heavy is a health risk; rolls of exposed flesh are unsightly-characterized as “hate speech.” ”

“. . .nature indifferently copied is far superior to the best idealities.”

Source : "The Life and Adventures of John James Audubon, the Naturalist". Book by Robert Buchanan, on a meeting with a young artist, Mr. J. B. Kidd, Ch. X, p. 140, 1868.

“But the writing life, it turned out, was difficult. It wasn't like you could sit down and flip a switch and crank on the ventilation system. Sometimes it didn't work, and sometimes you couldn't even find the switch.”

Source : Jeanne Marie Laskas (2010). “Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm”, p.12, Bantam

“I really wanted to do my own perfume because I mix my own oils, so it just made sense.”