I'm aware of my audience in a way, and I do try to engage with them while I'm trying to go about my business of thinking. I believe they help me by providing a focus.

When you grow up in a family of languages, you develop a kind of casual fluency, so that languages, though differently colored, all seem transparent to experience.

For several centuries what has passed for song in literary circles was any text that looked like the lyrics for a commonplace melodic setting.

I learned enough Hebrew to stagger through a meaningless ceremony that I scarcely remember.

Stories are different every time you tell them - they allow so many possible narratives.

I wanted to be an inventor, whatever I thought that meant then. I guess I was thinking of Edison or maybe James Watt. Or maybe even Newton.

There are editing procedures for talks just as there are editing procedures in jazz improvisation.