"The knowledge of God is the cause of things. For the knowledge of God is to all creatures what the knowledge of the artificer is to things made by his art."

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."

"Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine."

"To live well is to work well, to show a good activity."

"Artists need some kind of stimulating experience a lot of times, which crystallizes when you sing about it or paint it or sculpt it. You literally mold the experience the way you want. It's therapy."

"When I realized I was having trouble reading, I was too embarrassed to ask for help. Some teachers believed in me, but I just wasn't focused on school - I was into the music and trying to please my dad."

"I've seen country music go uptown, like we say, and I'm proud I was there when it happened."

"Since I was a kid, I've had an absolute obsession with particular kinds of American music. Mississippi Delta blues of the Thirties, Chicago blues of the Fifties, West Coast music of the mid-Sixties - but I'd never really touched on dark Americana."