I think that what I have been truly searching for as a person, as a writer, as a thinker, as a daughter, is freedom. That is my mission. A sense of liberty, the liberty that comes not only from self-awareness but also from letting go of many things. Many things that weigh us down.

I think, like any artist or any writer, I just want to have that pure freedom of expression and of thought - the freedom to explore and move in unexpected ways.

From the beginnings of literature, poets and writers have based their narratives on crossing borders, on wandering, on exile, on encounters beyond the familiar. The stranger is an archetype in epic poetry, in novels. The tension between alienation and assimilation has always been a basic theme.

The essential dilemma of my life is between my deep desire to belong and my suspicion of belonging.

Language and identity are so fundamentally intertwined. You peel back all the layers in terms of what we wear and what we eat and all the things that mark us, and in the end, what we have are our words.

My responsibility isn't to paint a flattering portrait; my responsibility is to paint a real portrait, a true portrait.

Language, identity, place, home: these are all of a piece - just different elements of belonging and not-belonging.

Yes, there will be challenges, and things will blow up in your face, but learning experiences are different from wasting your life pushing a boulder up a hill.

People love to tell you what you should and shouldn't want, regardless of what you have to say about it.

We are on this planet but once, and to spend it holding back our gushing appreciation of the things that light us up is a shameful waste.

For the vast majority of my adult life, I was a freelance writer, forever scrambling for work that paid an insulting non-amount.

I'm in trouble with some activist women because I refuse to say I'm bisexual.

Pay attention to how you think and speak, and if it turns out that you're sounding snide or crappy or doubtful, make the conscious decision to change.

People who truly love their lives are the most inspiring people of all.

Treat everyone on Earth like you're staying in their home. Because you are.

Make an effort to do the things that you enjoy instead of being lazy about it. Life is worth the hassle.

If you're taking a risk and you are not scared in some way, you're doing something wrong.

People tend to create drama and make things far worse than they are in reality.

We love to commiserate and troubleshoot and prepare for the worst, and gratitude yanks us out of that and reminds us of the ridiculous amount of infinite blessings that are around us at all times.

If you're confident, then you don't feel weird about showing your vulnerability and opening yourself up to learning from somebody else. Insecure people stay where they are because they're afraid of admitting their weaknesses.

A sense of urgency is motivating.

I have more experience than I care to have on what it feels like to be broke, confused, and frustrated when it comes to money.

We notice in others only those things that relate to ourselves. For example, you could find someone hilarious and brilliant, and I could find the same person idiotic and annoying. It's the same person doing the same thing, but because we are viewing them from our own unique perspectives, they mirror back to us something different.

If you want to change your life, you have to do things you've never done before.