...like a scene from the swamps of Louisiana or the mind of Poe on opium.

No, if there's any ultimate redemption, it would be because I passed though your life without scarring you, and did not diminish who you are.

Odd: I wish I could believe in reincarnation. Chief Porter: Not me. Once down the track is enough of a test. Pass me or fail me, Dear Lord, but don't make me go through high school again. Odd: If there's something we want so bad in this life but we can't have it, maybe we could get it the next time around. Chief Porter: Or maybe not getting it, accepting less without bitterness and being grateful for what we have is a part of what we're here to learn.

I always thought happiness was a choice and I always chose things that made me happy, and books were one of those.

In our age, self-indulgence and self-destruction, rather than self-sacrifice, are the foundations for new heroic myths.

I have avoided becoming stale by putting a little water on the plate, lying on the plate, and having myself refreshed in a toaster oven for 23 minutes once every month.

When it came to formal classes, I was a slacker. But I've always been a diligent autodidact and can teach myself virtually any subject if I have a serious interest in it.