I've worked so hard to eliminate the inner geek from my life. I suddenly realize I have no patience for those people who still have their geeks showing. Now I see why being 'normal' has been so important to me.

I came to parenting the way most of us do - knowing nothing and trying to learn everything.

My grandmother was a kind of Scarsdale New York society woman best known in her day as the author of the 1959 book 'Growing Your Own Way: An Informal Guide for Teen-Agers' - this despite being a person whose parenting style made Joan Crawford's wire hangers look like pool noodles.

I regret not having had more time with my kids when they were growing up.

It's a great mistake I think to put children off with falsehoods and nonsense when their growing powers of observation and discrimination excite in them a desire to know about things.

Assuming that man has a distinct spiritual nature a soul why should it be thought unnatural that under appropriate conditions of maladjustment his soul might die before his body does or that his soul might die without his knowing it?

Growing hemp as nature designed it is vital to our urgent need to reduce greenhouse gases and ensure the survival of our planet.

When I was growing up Dr. Seuss was really my favorite. There was something about the lyrical nature and the simplicity of his work that really hit me.

Loki in 'Thor' is the most incredible springboard into a sort of excavation of the darker aspects of human nature. So that was thrilling coming back knowing that I'd built the boat and now I could set sail into choppier waters.

I am following Nature without being able to grasp her I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.

Habit is a second nature which prevents us from knowing the first of which it has neither the cruelties nor the enchantments.

Knowing trees I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass I can appreciate persistence.

I'm not trying to keep up or adapt. I'm allowing myself to grow evolve and create new music.

Writing has laws of perspective of light and shade just as painting does or music. If you are born knowing them fine. If not learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself.

I've never had a very quiet voice. I tried in choir to make it smaller and it just didn't work out. And I listened to a lot of soul music when I was growing up on my own accord. But I was mostly into Mama Cass and Gladys Knight and they all had big voices too just different than mine.

Starting out really punk came from not knowing any better and listening to music like that not knowing how to play music - well still not knowing how to play music.

When I was a kid I was following black soul music.

My heart which is so full to overflowing has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary.

I was growing up listening to Queen. Freddie Mercury threw those incredible melodies into his songs.

Music is forever music should grow and mature with you following you right on up until you die.

Part of growing up is just taking what you learn from that and moving on and not taking it to heart.

By forgetting the past and by throwing myself into other interests I forget to worry.

What's that line from TS Eliot? To arrive at the place where you started but to know it for the first time. I'm able to write about a breakup from a different place. Same brokenness. Same rock-bottom. But a little more informed now I'm older. Thank God for growing up.

You know I was a huge fan of comedy and movies and TV growing up and I was able to memorize and mimic a lot of things not realizing that that meant I probably wanted to be an actor.