Charles Dickens

My meaning simply is, that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; that whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely; that in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest.

Grief never mended no broken bones.

Love, though said to be afflicted with blindness, is a vigilant watchman.

A loving heart is the truest wisdom.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.

I was probably 10 or 11 when I saw that, and sort of started thinking, ‘You know what? Marriage is an option. Having a family is an option. And going to school and getting your education and building your career is another really viable option that can lead to happiness and fulfillment.

Now that the baby is coming, I will do a lot more balancing. I’m going to be a real mommy.

Between a man and his wife nothing ought to rule but love. Authority is for children and servants, yet not without sweetness.

My son has a big Christmas problem – what do you buy for a father who has everything and you’re using it?

Parents and children seldom act in concert: each child endeavors to appropriate the esteem or fondness of the parents, and the parents, with yet less temptation, betray each other to their children.

They say that no matter how old you become, when you are with your siblings, you revert back to childhood.

Never fret for an only son, the idea of failure will never occur to him.

Growing up, I was taught that a man has to defend his family. When the wolf is trying to get in, you gotta stand in the doorway. He has to get through you first before he gets into the house to get your family. I’m one of those guys who wants to be in that door.

I’ve known people that was a part of a family and always feel that the family liked everyone else but them. That hurts, and that’s as deep a hurt as you can possibly get. I’ve known people that would have problems with their love life. This is kind of how blues began – out of feeling misused, mistreated. Feeling like they had nobody to turn to. Blues don’t necessarily have to be sung by a person that came from Mississippi as I did, because there are people having problems all over the world.

I always sort of felt like the eight years that Barack was president, it was sort of like having the good parent at home. You know, the responsible parent, the one who told you to eat your carrots and go to bed on time.

Be nice to your siblings, they’re your best link to your past and the most likely to stay with you in the future.

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

I learned in those eight years is that home is where you make it, and we were in the White House for eight years, but it wasn’t the house. It was us in it. It was our value and our love for each other.

How do people make it through life without a sister?

I had grown up without a father and that is why it was so important to me that my children would never be in need of anything.