The secret of happiness is variety, but the secret of variety, like the secret of all spices, is knowing when to use it.

Alas, we think of ourselves as unique entities-minds unlike any others-and thus we often reject the lessons that the emotional experience of others has to teach us.

Arthritic toothless people who love orgasms are more likely to reproduce than are limber, toothy people who do not.

I have everything that I could possibly want in life, from a gorgeous granddaughter and a wonderful wife, brilliant students, the best job anyone could hope for, and about half of my hair. Not the half I would have kept, but no one consulted me.

The eye and brain are conspirators, and, like most conspiracies, theirs is negotiated behind closed doors, in the back room, outside of our awareness.

We don't believe other people's experiences can tell us all that much about our own. I think this is an illusion of uniqueness.

Research suggests that people are typically unaware of the reasons why they are doing what they are doing, but when asked for a reason, they readily supply one.