"A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside him, finally turns inward and discovers that the source is within him."

"Faith is the highest passion in a human being. Many in every generation may not come that far, but none comes further."

"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced."

"Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts."

"I like to pretend that my art has nothing to do with me."

"Artistic qualities that once seemed undeniable don't seem so now. Sometimes these fluctuations are only fickleness of taste, momentary glitches in an artist's work, or an artist getting ahead of his audience (it took me ten years to catch up to Albert Oehlen). Other times, however, these problems mean there's something wrong with the art."

"Wisdom is the quiet art of recognizing what can be changed and releasing what cannot. This remains the cornerstone of personal mastery — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"American poetry, like American painting, is always personal with an emphasis on the individuality of the poet."