"the" truth...is not "the" truth.
It's your truth.
Some people will subscribe to your truth.
Others will shun it.
But it's yours.
And no one can take that from you.
So own it.

You build me up,
Then break me down
Just to see if I'll stick around.
I might stay for a little while.
But if you try again,
I'll feed you to the crocodiles.

I don't know what I'm doing. But that's okay. I have time to think about what I want to say. And so do you. Time is like death. It's not really an enemy or a friend. It's just always been there. No real beginning or end.
We're so worried about the things we can't control, let's focus on the things we can. Take the time to focus on what makes you happy and you will be a better man

Today, I know what it's like
To be a Russian nesting doll.
Putting a mask over my mask
That masks how I'm really feeling inside.
But you know what?
They're not all bad.
Masks can be beautiful.
And remember, at the end of the day,
You're still you underneath it all.

It's taken hundreds of thousands
of hours,
millions of minutes
to get you to where you are today.
So don't sell yourself short
when you think of how far you've come

if you gave yourself half as much credit and praise
as people give you, I can't even imagine how much you could do.
take it from me.
it's easy to put yourself down.
but the only thing that will do is make you frown.
so, instead of saying "anyone can do that"
try saying "I did that!"
see how good it feels to give yourself a win.
then, maybe you can start to work on feeling comfortable
in your own skin.
like everything, it's a process.
so, don't be discouraged if you don't get the hang of it right away.
but, for what it's worth, I believe in you.
And I think you'll be okay.

If your last day comes
before my last breath,
I'll dedicate it to you.
Because you taught me
that as painful as it can be,
life is a better choice than death

Time heals.
Time bends.
Time gives us chances
to make amends.
Time gives.
Time takes.
In time, we learn from our mistakes.
For a time you'll live.
In time, you'll die.
So make the most of your time.
Don't be afraid to reach for the sky.

The music man is the master of disguise.
He sings about his pain but no one hears his cries

I don't want to talk about the world.
I don't want to talk about the future
Or the past.
I don't want to talk about how old I feel or how the years fly by so fast.
I don't want to talk about my day.
I don't want to talk about the weather.
What I do want to talk about
Is what you need to make you feel better.

I'm standing here alone tonight
As I watch these cars pass like my life.
They're moving on but I'm still here
Staring at the bottom of another empty beer
I don't want to give in.
I don't want to give up.
But wanting something just isn't enough.
You say you'll help
So I'm ready to fight.
Maybe now my darkness can be beat by your light.
I want to thank you my friend
For teaching me that it's okay to be me
I want to thank you my friend for not giving up when I had so little hope.
You've done more for me than you'll ever know
So I wrote this so I can finally show how much it means that you're in my life.
I was in a deep dark place with no way out
Then you came running when you heard me shout.
Now I'm ready to live all of the days ahead.
That's why I want to thank you for being my friend.

"If you don't want to hear "I'm sorry" then I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. Even if you did, you wouldn't mean it anyway."
"We were great together. What did I do that was so wrong?"
"If you don't know, if you can't see how much you've changed, maybe you're too far gone."
"I haven't changed. I'm the same man I was before.
Yeah, I drink a little more.
But that doesn't mean you have to walk out the door."
"I don't want to. But you're not giving me much of a choice.
You don't listen to how much you're hurting me
no matter how much I raise my voice."
"You're hurting? You have no idea what I'm feeling inside.
You never asked why I started drinking.
You never even tried to understand.
Look, you said you don't want to walk.
So if you're willing to listen, I'm willing to talk."
"So let's talk."

I can't see why. I can't see how.
In fact, it doesn't seem like I can see
much of anything right now.
And normally, that would frighten me.
But if there's one thing I've learned this year,
it's that it's not always about what you can see or what you can hear. It's about what you know. It's knowing that people love me
that got me through my darkest days.
I've found my purpose in the knowledge that I've helped so many people in so many ways. I find power in knowing that my story's not done. And whatever you find when you think about what you know, I hope that it inspires you
and helps you grow.

It's hard to live for the moment when you're dying by the second.
It's hard to dream about the years ahead when you know that someday, it will all come to an end.
It's hard to talk to people when you're secretly afraid of your own shadow.
It's hard, but if you find something that makes you happy, you'll be amazed how much you grow.

Love. Life.
Birth. Death.
Cancer. Pain.
Something I hope you keep in mind
is how you react to stressful events
is not necessarily a reflection of you
as a person or guardian.

Some people want to remember.
Others want to forget.
We may not always have a choice in the matter. But that doesn't mean our futures are set in stone.

Who do you see when you look in the mirror?
Turn away. Now look back.
Is the reflection any clearer?
Does it look the same?
Is it what you thought it'd be?
If it's not, don't worry.
You can change it because you control your destiny.
But just because you can change things doesn't necessarily mean you should.
Before you make any decisions,
Ask "is this a change for the good?"

Work to live
But don't live to work
Unless you're working on yourself

In case you didn't know
The pain you feel,
The fears you have,
The love you give,
Is real.

There are so many differences
between you and I that, I can't help but wonder: could it ever be worth the effort
to try to find a way for us to see eye to eye?

Some nights are dark, some are bright.
But does the moon hide behind clouds?
Or do the clouds hide the moon and stars?

It'll never be easy
To say what you have to say.
To do what you need to do.
But that's why it's so important
that you see it through.

Everyone fell in love
With your beauty and grace.
But no one saw the tears
That streamed down your face.
Because people only see
What they want to see.
"If that's true," you ask,
"Does that mean you wanted
To see me cry?"
"Not at all, my dear.
I just think emotion is beautiful.
And when you are willing to show
An emotion like crying,
It proves there's more to you
Than meets the eye."

If I told you everything you've always wanted to hear, if I could take away all your fears, would it make a difference? Would you believe me? If the answer is no, then, does anything we say matter?

Good. Bad.
Happy. Sad.
Love. Hate.
Lost.
Weak. Strong.
Right. Wrong.
Scared. Prepared.
These words don't define us.
They are feelings.
So please. Don't be afraid
If these words come across your mind.
Don't be afraid to admit that you feel that way.
Like everything else, they will go away in time.

"I can't hear it anymore."
"You can't hear what anymore?"
"My heart."
"Don't you remember?
You gave it to me to comfort me if we ever drifted apart."

I don't know what will happen when I die.
But I do know what will happen if I don't try.
So today, even though I want to cry
From all the stress, the pain, the fear,
The loneliness I feel, the **** that's real
No matter how much I try to deny,
My eyes will stay dry.
I'll try.

No one said life was easy
No one said we have enough time
And yet, we still work with what we've got.

I want to help, but I don't know how.
I want a world better than the one I live in now.
Faced with so many options, I'm afraid to choose
Because like it or not, the future's ours to lose.

Don't be afraid
to tell me I'm wrong
Because I won't learn anything
if you tell me I'm right.
Don't be afraid
to tell me the truth.
I promise it will
never start a fight.

Don't just live for the hell of it.
Don't just live because you can.
Live for the love of it.
Don't settle.
Live to be a happier woman or man.

I wanted you to show me the way.
To give me a sign.
But I looked behind to realize, for once, I wasn't the last one in line.

In the dark of the night,
Be the light from the moon.

In a world of pain
In a world of fear
I can't tell you how much it means
To have you here

No matter how hard you try
I won't let you see me cry.

I'm living in a dream until it becomes a nightmare
Waiting for the day I find someone out there.
The people I have met in this life
Are living in a different dream, however.
One that is based not on love,
But something different altogether.

If what they say is true,
that there's always room for improvement, maybe the opposite is true as well.
Maybe there's room for failure too.
Don't misunderstand.
I'm not suggesting you don't try.
But life is a process.
And failure, mistakes,
they're as much a part as progress.
So, while it may never seem like an option,
I hope you come to find it's OK to fail.

you may never be whole again,
But if I can, I'd like to help you
Feel human again

Someone asked what America means to me.
Well, it's more than the land of the free and the home of the brave.
It's more than a place of opportunity
Or roads paved in gold.
It's pride.
America is its people, who come from all walks of life.
It's history.
It's the future.
It's humanity.
It's tragedy and cruelty.
So what does America mean to me?
America is everything.

There will always be reasons to quit. Sometimes, your body may even reward you for it.
"Quit starving yourself. Look at you.
You're miserable. Help me help you.
Just one smoke. Just one drink. And that's it. No more headaches. No more shakes.
You'll feel like you can think clearly again."
And your body's right. You will feel better. Because change can be painful.
Especially if you're trying to do it alone.
But the saying is true.
If you can push through the pain,
your body will be grateful eventually. And you will gain a new lease on life.

If pain is the body's way of telling you something's wrong,
how does it tell you when something's right?
Is it feeling love? Adrenaline?
Or is it something simpler
like having more energy or the ability to smile? Maybe it's all. Maybe it's none.
Sometimes, I just wish I could know for sure.

I've noticed the older I get,
I worry less about my mortality
and more about the quality of my memory.
But then I had an epiphany:
maybe we weren't meant to have a good memory. Consider this: by your 30th birthday, you will have been alive for 10 thousand days. Would you want to remember it all?
Maybe it's OK that we can't remember.
Maybe it's OK if we forget.
Maybe it's not a reflection of your intelligence
if you can't recall the names and faces
of everyone you've ever met.
That's not to say memory loss isn't scary.
But if there's one thing you can hold on to:
even if you forget,
someone will remember for you.