We're all torn between the desire for privacy and the fear of lonliness. We need each other and we need to get away from each other. We need proximity and distance, conversation and silence. We almost always get more of each than we want at any one time.

Civilization means conforming to a standard of behavior that may not seem natural to us.

Finding the tool is often half the battle.

I don't like food that's too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I'd buy a painting.

My advice is not to wait to be struck by an idea. If you're a writer, you sit down and damn well decide to have an idea. That's the way to get an idea.

Every one starts out being an atheist.

The teacher who knows the most about a subject isn't necessarily the one who can teach it best.