One of the unexpectedly important things that art can do for us is to teach us how to suffer more successfully.

The lesson? To respond to the unexpected and hurtful behavior of others with something more than a wipe of the glasses, to see it as a chance to expand our understanding.

Religions are so subtle, so complicated, so intelligent in many ways that they're not fit to be abandoned to the religious alone; they're for all of us.

The secular world is full of holes. We have secularized badly.

Most good thinking has its origin in fear.

The desire for high status is never stronger than in situations where "ordinary" life fails to answer a median need for dignity and comfort.

Being funny should be an incidental byproduct of trying to get to something truthful, not a destination in itself.