People who are knowledgeable about poetry sometimes discuss it in that knowing, rather hateful way in which oenophiles talk about wine: robust, delicate, muscular. This has nothing to do with how most of us experience it, the heart coming around the corner and unexpectedly running into the mind. Of all the words that have stuck to the ribs of my soul, poetry has been the most filling.

Jane Austen may not be the best writer, but she certainly writes about the best people. And by that I mean people just like me.

Children should have enough freedom to be themselves - once they've learned the rules.

In a democratic society, the only treason is silence.

All parents should be aware that when they mock or curse gay people, they may be mocking or cursing their own child.

I got a fortune cookie that said, "To remember is to understand." I have never forgotten it. A good judge remembers what it was like to be a lawyer. A good editor remembers being a writer. A good parent remembers what it was like to be a child.

I've always had a certain facility with words.