"We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is
nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts."

A. W. Tozer

Bruce Springsteen on his songwriting process:

It would be like having a shapeless piece of clay or something in front of you, and you start to run your fingers over it. You're just sitting there with the clay, you don't have an idea of what that clay is going to be yet, you just start running your fingers over the clay. And as you're running your fingers over the clay, your emotions, who you are, the issues that are on your mind, the sounds you may want to hear, the shapes you may want to hear, the shapes you may what to see, your relationship to the world itself begins to define itself in the images, music and lyrics that are just kind of flowing out of you.

Then there's a point where also your studied craft comes into play. In other words, okay, you've plummeted a certain amount: you've got your basic story, you've plummeted into some of your unconscious, and you've come up with something that feels like life. It feels like it has some breath and some blood in it. But now you've got to call on your craft to refine it, to write well, to make good choruses, or verses. And so your craft comes in, but you're still listening. The main thing is what you're doing if you have your clay in front of you: you're seeing all the time. What is assisting you in moving forward? Your eyes -- you’re seeing, you’re seeing. If you're a musician, what is assisting you in moving forward with a song? Your ears. Every time you strum the chord, you're listening. What is the song telling you? What is the character telling you about his fate? And if you listen hard enough and if you yourself are a seeker -- in other words, your motivation is that you are in search of whatever it is you might want to call it, truth, experience, reflection of the world as it is -- you want to sing your blues away, you want to sing about your gal, your friends your town, your country, your day at the beach, what ever it feels like, alright. These things come forth and begin to sort of give shape and refinement to your thoughts and emotions.

"May you live all the days of your life."

Jonathan Swift

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds on in its net of wonder forever."

Jacques Yves Cousteau

"It is impossible not to love someone who makes toast for you."

Nigel Slater

Izzie: You kissed me.
Karev: Yes, I did.
Izzie: Should we?... I mean, there's a discussion that we could have... if you wanted to have one?
Karev: Izzie, I kissed you, with tongue, and I plan to do it again, and again - get used to it. End of discussion.

-Grey's Anatomy

"Lovers can live on kisses and cool water."

Old French saying

"A kiss can be a comma, a question mark, or an exclamation point. That's basic spelling that every woman ought to know."

Mistinguett

May you know the joy of freedom
- and the joy of having roots.

To walk in sunlight along a lonely beach.
To sprawl in meadow grass.
To swim in the transparency of water.
To come home to those you love.

I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved."

Victor Hugo

"... a leaf fluttered in through the window this morning, as if supported by the rays of the sun, a bird settled on the fire escape, joy in the task of coffee, joy accompanied me as I walked...."

Anais Nin

"The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness."

William Saroyan

I've been a dweller on the plains,
have sighed when summer days were gone;
No more I'll sigh; for winter here
Hath gladsome gardens of his own.

Dorothy Wordsworth

We have a house in Jersey. We have two kids, Annie and Josh. Annie's not much of a violin player, but she tries real hard. She's a little precocious, but that's only because she says what's on her mind. And when she smiles... And Josh, he has your eyes. He doesn't say much, but we know he's smart. He's always got his eyes open, he's always watching us. Sometimes you can look at him and you just know he's learning something new. It's like witnessing a miracle.

The house is a mess but it's ours. After 122 more payments, it's going to be ours. And you, you're a non-profit lawyer. That's right, you're completely non-profit, but that doesn't seem to bother you. And we're in love. After 13 years of marriage we're still unbelievably in love. You won't even let me touch you until I've said it. I sing to you. Not all the time, but definitely on special occasions. We've dealt with our share of surprises and made a lot of sacrifices but we've stayed together. You see, you're a better person than I am. And it made me a better person to be around you.

I don't know, maybe it was just all a dream. Maybe I went to bed one lonely night in December and I imagined it all. But I swear, nothing has ever felt more real. And if you get on that plane right now, it'll disappear forever. I know we could both go on with our lives and we'd both be fine, but I've seen what we could be like together. And I choose us.

-Jack Campbell, The Family Man (2000)