When somebody says, "Oh, Buffy, you're such a warrior for peace", I stop them and say, "No, I'm not really a warrior for peace. What I promote is alternative conflict resolution".

[on being called an 'icon'] You see them on your computer screen every day. Unless you press the button you don't k ow where they lead, right?

I'm not like a professional writer with professional skills. Songs kind of come into my head the same way they did when I was a kid. I say I'm an overgrown kindergarten kid. I work on songs. That's stage two. That's because I went to college.. You have to be clever. The art of the three-minute song is more like journalism than writing a big 400-page book. You want to be brief, you want to make sense right yen and there. And sometimes that takes a bit of work.

[on living with animals on a small farm in Hawaii] It keeps me natural. People use words like grounded and focused. But I call it plain being natural. When you go out and hug your horse and it hugs you back, that's a very good feeling.

I never expect engaging, really. I'm so happy to be a song-writer - I'm even surprised when I get to record anything. I consider it a considerable privilege and a blessing to have a medium of expression that has a place in the world.