Introduction When I was a very young girl, about thirteen, my grandmother gave me a beautiful antique book with an embroidered cover and blank pages inside. I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Write a story? Do drawings? I was more inclined to draw than to write. Then I began to find quotes I liked, wise words, often about love and the alleged meaning of life. And I began writing the sayings down in the book. It took me years to fill it. None of it was written in my own words; they were all quotations of other people's wisdom. I would read through the book from time to time, and loved what I had gathered. The habit of collecting quotations stayed with me. I would find sayings that I liked, even anonymous ones, clip them out of magazines or greeting cards, and save them. I didn't research the sources or seek to verify them. It was the message that was meaningful, and I accepted the attributions. The wisdom of the words was what touched me. Sometimes I would make collages of them and give them to friends. Eventually I began framing the quotations, in several languages, and hanging them on my walls. I hang them mostly around my desk and the places where I work, even above my computer. I put them there so that on a bad day, I can look up and see something inspiring, or something that makes me laugh, to lighten the burdens and challenges of the day. I suppose it's not surprising that I'm in love with words and always have been. I make collages, fill little notebooks with sayings that I like. I do artwork, using vintage letters to make a word that's meaningful to me. I love paintings and sculptures with words in them, and jewelry made with words, either in the form of a word or with words engraved on them. Words have become my career and my life, and my inspiration. The right words can bring you back to reality or make you dream, can comfort you when you're in despair or make you laugh out loud. The right words can open your mind or give you hope. I use the quotations I save and frame to do just that: to remind me of what I need to know, that life is not as bleak as it appears sometimes, that there is always hope, and love, and joy. The right words give me courage, strength, and peace. I hope that some of these sayings that I cherish (or that make me laugh) will be the right words for you and give you just what you need at the right time. Please take them in the spirit I offer them to you, with love, as I share with you these words that have brought me great warmth and comfort. Believe in miracles. Expect a miracle. Miracles DO happen, just as the quotations say. Life is a miracle, friendship is a miracle, laughter is a miracle, and so is love. And I hope that these words touch your heart and make you smile. Love, Danielle Excerpted from Expect a Miracle: Quotations to Live and Love By by Danielle Steel All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.