You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

Slobodan Milosevic was just as smart as a five-year-old. Five-year-olds have an uncanny way of getting into your psyche, your self-esteem.

There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our own intelligence

I used to dash by, feeling like a dartboard, a big red bull's-eye that Mother pinged darts at.

I sat in the study parlor and wrote for hours-mostly term papers but also short stories, bad poetry, episodes of Dr. Kildare, Pall Mall jingles, letters of complaint, ransom notes, love letters to boys I'd seen in class but hadn't the nerve to speak to, all of which I never mailed. Sure, I dreamed of having football dates, but my real dream was that one day I would write something that people would actually read.

It's important to be smart, but it's also important to be active with your intelligence. The more you sit around over-thinking things, the more trouble you get into.