I realised how paranoid and guarded and not trusting - walled-in - I had become. Not consciously so but just this armour that I kind of have protective armour. It's not for my friends or family but for being.outside in the world always on guard.

Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet: there's always one determined to face in an opposite direction from the way the arranger desires.

You know my family and friends have never been yes-men: 'Yes you're doing the right thing you're always right.' No they tell me when I'm wrong and that's why I've been able to stay who I am and stay humble.

I always put clothes and family photos under the mattress in case the house burns down.

My mother has always been the social glue holding the family together.

In the investigation of a neurotic style of life we must always suspect an opponent and note who suffers most because of the patient's condition. Usually this is a member of the family.

Christmas can have a real melancholy aspect 'cause it packages itself as this idea of perfect family cohesion and love and you're always going to come up short when you measure your personal life against the idealized personal lives that are constantly thrust in our faces primarily by TV commercials.

Sure I have friends plenty of friends and they all come around wantin' to borrow money. I've always been generous with my friends and family with money but selfish with the important stuff like love.

It's hard knowing who to trust with your personal life. When you cry in your room at night you don't always know who to call. So I am very close to my family.

The promise of America has always been that if you worked hard had the right values took some risks that there was an opportunity to build a better life for your family and for your next generation.