Who you are isn't tied solely to what you say, even though it may feel that way to you now.

History is an agreed-upon fiction.

I'm fascinated how often and with what whole-heartedness people will risk their lives to perform acts of courage, sacrifice, and compassion for total strangers.

Nature is more like a seesaw than a crystal, a never-ending conga line of bold moves and corrections.

Poetry is an act of distillation. It takes contingency samples, is selective. It telescopes time. It focuses what most often floods past us in a polite blur.

It's so acceptably easy for a woman not to strive too hard, not to be too adventure-crazed, not to take too many risks, not to enjoy sex with full candor ... It isn't seemly for a woman to have that much zest.

habit, a particularly insidious thug who chokes passion and smothers love. Habit puts us on autopilot.