I feel like my grandparents and parents gave me a tremendous amount. And if I can pass some of that on, then I'll be very happy.

The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means we have to have an independent judiciary, judges who can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing.

I've been a Democrat all my life.

I have a lifelong devotion to public service.

The amazing thing about the winners is that none of them really felt that they were doing anything special. They just felt like it was the right thing to do.

When you're going through something, whether it's a wonderful thing like having a child or a sad thing like losing somebody, you often feel like 'Oh my God, I'm so overwhelmed; I'm dealing with this huge thing on my own.' In fact, poetry's a nice reminder that, no, everybody goes through it. These are universal experiences.

Most of the books that I've written have been focused on, sort of, the individual, and sort of, either a voice, a personal voice, or a kind of transforming event where they step forward to fight for something they value.