Because the rhythm of conversation makes no allowance for dead periods, because the presence of others calls for continuous responses, we are left to regret the inanity of what we say, and the missed opportunity of what we do not.

As adults, we try to develop the character traits that would have rescued our parents.

as the determinants of high status keep shifting, so, too, naturally, will the triggers of status anxiety be altered.

The more familiar two people become, the more the language they speak together departs from that of the ordinary, dictionary-defined discourse. Familiarity creates a new language, an in-house language of intimacy that carries reference to the story the two lovers are weaving together and that cannot be readily understood by others.

I was uncomfortable writing fiction. My love was the personal essay rather than the novel.

Status anxiety definitely exists at a political level. Many Iraqis were annoyed with the US essentially for reasons of status: for not showing them respect, for humiliating them.

There is no such thing as work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life.