"Focusing on myself for the purposes of developing my inner being need not be a selfish undertaking, but just the opposite. For my spirit to be healthy and whole, I need to know what I want and desire, and the reasons why."

"Now, you understand, I haven't been in a room with these people for at least ten years. They know I haven't spoken to her much. Out of the blue they are going to get an invitation to come to a celebration of my mom's life..."

"When I was about nine years old, I had a very fatalistic view of life. I was convinced that I wasn't going to grow up, much less make it to the 21st century. Then one spring, all of my senses were reawakened after a two week long illness in sensory isolation. I felt as if I were seeing and hearing things again for the first time. The fear of death no longer held its grip of terror on me."