Born on November 2nd

"In the field of motivation & action, do not wait for a clear sky; the most resilient journeys begin in the midst of the storm."

"Success is not a destination of comfort, but the daily practice of stepping into the unknown. As a poet & novelist, this is the foundational truth I have observed."

"Your potential is a fire waiting to be kindled by the friction of consistent effort."

"In the field of mindfulness & peace, be present in this breath, for it is the only moment where life is actually happening."

"Peace is not the silence of the storm, but the calm center you maintain within yourself. As a creative innovator, this is the foundational truth I have observed."

"Let go of the weight of yesterday, and receive the clear canvas of this present day."

"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."

"He was one of those inexplicable gifts of nature, an artist who leaps over boundaries, changes our nervous systems, creates a new language, transmits new kinds of joy to our startled senses and spirits."

"Did any artist ever bring more pure joy to more people than Fred Astaire?"

"The sky is an infinite movie to me. I never get tired of looking at what's happening up there."

"Look. Art knows no prejudice, art knows no boundaries, art doesn't really have judgement in it's purest form. So just go, just go."

"I think I have a better sense of my weaknesses - being self-important, selfish and having a big ego probably triggers all the other stuff. I can see myself more clearly."

"If you knew how meat was made, you'd probably lose your lunch."

"I think I fall into a lot of cracks in terms of I'm too something. I'm too this, I'm too that. And my music has never really had a home. I've been this floating alternative. I'm too mainstream for alternative. I'm too alternative for mainstream. And I'm just kind of wandering."

"It was kind of easier for me to do records that didn't take a year or two years of my life to write and to make."

"My public image is so low-key, but I get to travel the world and still have an audience and it's really amazing. I don't take that for granted."

"Heartache is very fertile ground for song-making but so is happiness, so is absolute bliss."

"I think I have allowed my voice to experiment with the different genres. And I think that I have just really enjoyed the journey of getting to know my voice and seeing what it's capable of, what it's not capable of."

"I feel like at 50 I've decided to become a rock star, which is, you know, typical of me. I always seem to work backwards."

"Spend time reflecting on your emotional and physical existence and how that applies to the voice. You have to apply that wisdom and experience when you sing - it's what comes through."

"I wanted to write songs that would play themselves on stage, songs that sweep you through their current."

"I often say fame is kind of like a drug or like sugar: when it's controlling you it doesn't feel good at all."

"I believe in monogamy if that's what a couple decides upon together, but it all depends on the personal history and culture of the two involved."

"There needn't be a distinction between your life and your music."

"I just try to live a really simple, natural life, because obviously, life has an impact on your voice."

"You have to respect your audience. Without them, you're essentially standing alone, singing to yourself."

"The older I get, the more I embrace who I am."

"When women make their image about youth and sexuality, and not about intellect, that's kind of a dead-end road. So I think it's a combination of self-entrapment and entrapment by society."