Jeannette Walls

You didnt need a college degree to become one of the people who knew what was really going on. If you paid attention you could pick things up on your own.

Sometimes something catastrophic can occur in a split second that changes a person's life forever; other times one minor incident can lead to another and then another and another, eventually setting off just as big a change in a body's life.

When I got a little older, I started writing for the high school newspaper, 'The Maroon Wave,' and that's when I fell in love with journalism.

Horses are a mirror of who you are. They're emotionally dependent on you.

I found out that people are incredibly compassionate and kind. It really changed my view of the world.

I believe that everyone has some huge talent in them; the really lucky ones discover what it is.

Books are my very favorite gift to give. If you give a book to someone and they really respond to it, you feel you've actually changed their life in some way.

Nobody's perfect. We're all just one step up from the beasts and one step down from the angels.

I sit down at my desk pretty early in the morning and write all day until about 4 or 5 p.m.

I feel like 'Alice Through the Looking Glass.'

Everything in life is gray, you know.

Whenever I'm reading a book I enjoy, I always develop a mental list of the people I want to share it with.

I'm a fairly fast, but sloppy writer, so I'm a big fan of re-writing, and re-writing again.

Youll never make a fortune working for the boss man

When people kill themselves, they think they're ending the pain, but all they're doing is passing it on to those they leave behind.

Once you go on welfare it changes you. Even if you get off welfare, you never escape the stigma that you were a charity case. You're scarred for life.

If you want to be reminded of the love of the Lord, just watch the sunrise.

We're stronger than we realize.

Some people who've read my story think I had a terrible childhood and that I was neglected or even abused, while others feel that my parents, while certainly flawed, also had truly wonderful qualities. And that's the way it should be, because in real life two people can look at the same president and one will see a hero and the other a villain.

Anyone who thinks he's too small to make a difference has never been bit by a mosquito.

I was so worried that people wouldn't like me or my story.

My older sister achieved her dream of being an artist. She's an illustrator living in Manhattan.

One of the most challenging aspects of writing a memoir is finding your own voice, and you should be very careful about being influenced by someone else's voice.

I find books that have a moral and spiritual center, that speak to what is really important and lasting, hugely appealing.

I'm a big believer in luck - the harder you work, the luckier you become.

I listen to music mostly in the evening. I've come to love what is called world music, like the Zimbabwean Oliver Mtukudzi and the Colombian singer Marta Gomez. I also love the Irish folk singer Mary Black. Other favorites include Chet Baker, Eva Cassidy, and Billie Holiday.

I always wanted to be a serious journalist.

I reached my full height at age 11, and I was clumsy as all get-out - all elbows and knees, couldn't get up a flight of stairs without falling down. I wanted to be a cute, petite blonde, but I'm a big ol' strapping thing, so I just accept it.

Most important thing in life ... is learning how to fall.

My life is not just about the past.

Sometimes you need a little crisis to get your adrenaline flowing and help you realize your potential.

I never had any question that my parents loved me. I had a real sense of self confidence.

I was in control of what people thought of me, but I had no control over what they thought of my mother. When I asked my mother, 'How do I tell people about you?' her answer was, 'Tell the truth'. But of course, the truth is never simple.

If you had weak eyes they needed exercises to get strong. Glasses were like crutches. They prevented people with feeble eyes from seeing the world on their own.

My advice to anyone is to figure out what you're good at - what it is that you love doing the most in life - and figure out a way to make a living from it.

One benefit of Summer was that each day we had more light to read by.