The study of maps and the perusal of travel books aroused in me a secret fascination that was at times almost irresistible.

What I want to argue for is not that we should give up on our ideas of success, but that we should make sure that they are our own. We should focus in on our ideas and make sure that we own them, that we're truly the authors of our own ambitions. Because it's bad enough not getting what you want, but it's even worse to have an idea of what it is you want and find out at the end of the journey that it isn't, in fact, what you wanted all along.

Choosing a spouse and a choosing career: the two great decisions for which society refuses to set up institutional guidance.

An argument in a couple: 2 people attempting to introduce each other to important truths - by panicked shouting.

The moment we cry in a film is not when things are sad but when they turn out to be more beautiful than we expected them to be.

If one felt successful, there'd be so little incentive to be successful.

The good parent: someone who doesn't mind, for a time, being hated by their children.