There's a whole category of people who miss out by not allowing themselves to be weird enough.

That said, deciding to avoid other people does not necessarily equate with having no desire whatsoever for company; it may simply reflect a dissatisfaction with what—or who—is available. Cynics are, in the end, only idealists with awkwardly high standards. In Chamfort's words, 'It is sometimes said of a man who lives alone that he does not like society. This is like saying of a man that he does not like going for walks because he is not fond of walking at night in the forêt de Bondy.

We keep a special place in our hearts for people who refuse to be impressed by us.

We may not agree with what religions are trying to teach us, but we can admire the institutional way in which they're doing it.

At the heart of every frustration lies a basic structure: the collision of a wish with an unyielding reality.

Our homes do not have to offer us permanent occupancy or store our clothes to merit the name. To speak of home in relation to a building is simply to recognise its harmony with our own prized internal song. Home can be an airport or a library, a garden or a motorway diner.

Writing isn’t a career choice. It’s self-medication that over time precipitates the madness it was meant to ward off.