"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.
Accordingly, a 'genius' is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework."
— Thomas A. Edison

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."
— Beverly Sills

""...to all the monsters in my nursery: May you never leave me alone.""
— Guillermo Del Toro (The Strain)

"People always ask me
"Son what does it take
To reach out and touch your dreams?"
To them I always say

Are you hungry?
Are you thirsty?
Is it a fire that burns you up inside?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming
With that one thing on your mind?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You've got to lay it all out on the line"
— Tim McGraw (Tim McGraw: Like You Were Dying)

"Dedication: My thanks to the people who showed me that opera was stranger than I could imagine. I can best repay their kindness by not mentioning their names here."
— Terry Pratchett (Maskerade)

"Across galaxies of time and space
Travelling just to see your face
Lost amidst the countless stars
To bring me back to where you are."
— Bryce W. Anderson

"A sacrament--like marriage--means living a life better than your natural instincts, so that you're modeling God. And God never gives up."
— Jodi Picoult (Handle with Care)

"There is art in my fingertips,
a poem in my head,
a song brushing past my lips,
a piano being fed.

A mic waiting to be held,
a pen waiting to be used;
Waiting for the perfect hand
and a voice to be felt.

This is: EMOTION"
— Melinda Pitkin