truecrypt question regarding passwords

I have a file container and I encrypt my system drive that contains that file container.

I have other passwords like the power on, hdd, and windows, all of reasonable length and randomness.

I would LIKE to use a long password for both the truecrypt container and the system encryption. For the truecrypt container I used to copy and paste my huge password from a txt file on the encrypted partition. It worked, but for obvious reasons it compromises security when I have the passwords stored in plain text like that on the same hard drive. Further more, for the system drive, the longest random password I could remember is 24 chars. I would like to use a longer 63 char password like I do with the windows/hdd/power on pw's, but I can only remember so much. Is there ... a secure, efficient, PROPER way to set such lengthy passwords for the pre-desktop authentication and container passwords? I don't have a smart card reader.

 

Couldn't you use something you've already learned or something that isn't too difficult to remember? Like;

Texas is a free and independent State, subject only to the Constitution of the United States

Then create your own 'rules'; drop every first or last letter, change some letters for numbers/symbols (not e=3 but r=3 or s=4, o=¼ etc), you can also decide that every 's' will be a number starting at a random position (f.i. 4) and then go up/down, also leave out one word and/or change one or more words for only symbols;
Throwing all such rules in the mix can result in;

((((_i_fre_an_((((((((((_4tat,_5ubjec_#nl_t_th_C¼n6tituti¼_¼_th_7tate

It's still a bi*** of a sentence, I agree, but long; some 70char, lower and upper case, numbers and symbols.
I'd try something like that and see if it works for you.
Start with a sentence from a book/movie/song/whatever you already know and just only use those 'rules' as far as you can remember them easily.