"My great-grandmother told me, 'If you're going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can't be erased.' And then she added, 'But make sure it's not a skid mark.'"

"I’m not a writer who writes. I’m a writer who reads."

"I've learned that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

"I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them."

"I'm not a victim of my past. I'm a survivor of my past. And I'm going to use my past to help others."