All the noise in my brain. I clamp it to the page so it will be still.
—Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible

Tell the truth through whichever veil comes to hand—but tell it. Resign yourself to the lifelong sadness that comes from never ­being satisfied.
—Zadie Smith

How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.
― Yvon Chouinard, Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman

In this age of information abundance and overload, those who get ahead will be the folks who figure out what to leave out, so they can concentrate on what’s really important to them. Nothing is more paralyzing than the idea of limitless possibilities. The idea that you can do anything is absolutely terrifying.

The way to get over creative block is simply to place some constraints on yourself. It seems contradictory, but when it comes to creative work, limitations mean freedom 
 Don’t make excuses for not working—make things with the time, space, and materials you have, right now.

—Austin Kleon, Steal like an Artist

Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.
—Gustave Flaubert

The good writer seems to be writing about himself, but has his eye always on the thread of the universe that runs through himself and all things.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

The true secret of happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.
—William Morris, The Aims of Art