Born on January 12th

"In the field of creativity & art, to create is to take a leap of faith into the quiet canvas of your own imagination."

"Art is the expression of our deepest questions, painted in colors that words cannot reach. As a scientist & scholar, this is the foundational truth I have observed."

"Every act of creation begins with a willing heart and the courage to make a mistake."

"To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting."

"Real freedom is having nothing. I was freer when I didn't have a cent."

"When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness."

"Nothing turns out to be so oppressive and unjust as a feeble government."

"It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do."

"There is but one law for all, namely that law which governs all law, the law of our Creator, the law of humanity, justice, equity - the law of nature and of nations."

"Bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny."

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."

"If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free; if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed."

"Never despair, but if you do, work on in despair."

"Our patience will achieve more than our force."

"By the time a man gets to be presidential material, he's been bought ten times over."

"The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse."

"A lot of people who have experienced trauma at the hands of people they've trusted take responsibility, and that is what's toxic."

"Comedy is great in that it's accessible to someone like me, from a low socioeconomic background, struggling in life. The gatekeepers are a lot stronger in other art forms."

"We need to hear stories from older women. There's a wealth of wisdom and real resilience there, but they're silenced."

"I've got Asperger's. I come at things from sideways."

"Just because it's been around for centuries, doesn't mean it's cool to be a creepy old man."

"That's the problem with ADHD: I have no focus; I get bored."

"I would never date a celebrity. I would want someone with real skills. Doctor, nurse, electrician... tailor."

"Stories appeal to humanity."

"The only people I don't reach on a very personal level are straight white men. They don't really need another entertainer dedicated for them exclusively, so they're fine."

"This adoration of an artist as a lone genius is quite misled, I think, because they are very much part of their time and their community."

"My brain is just so busy. I'm inattentive; I'm a daydreamer: the space cadet kind."

"A lot of people have told me they have mothers like my mother. I seriously doubt it."

"I've walked away in the middle of a conversation and had no idea that was wrong until someone told me I was being rude."

"Most accountants are strange - let's be honest."