You may find that your parents are the most delightful people, but you don't want to live with them.

From an evolutionary point of view, sex is really just a reward mechanism to encourage us to pass on our genetic material.

A cough so robust that I tapped into two new seams of phlegm.

Boston's freeway system is insane. It was clearly designed by a person who had spent his childhood crashing toy trains.

You can always tell a Midwestern couple in Europe because they will be standing on a traffic island in the middle of a busy intersection looking at a windblown map and arguing over which way is west. European cities, with their wandering streets and undisciplined alleys, drive Midwesterners practically insane.

It is not true that the English invented cricket as a way of making all other human endeavors look interesting and lively; that was merely an unintended side effect... It is the only sport that incorporates meal breaks. It is the only sport that shares its name with an insect. It is the only sport in which spectators burn as many calories as players - more if they are moderately restless.

Not writing the same kind of book over and over again is to me the real pleasure of what I do.