I don't want to be a passenger in my own life.

The visual image is a kind of tripwire for the emotions.

Words are small shapes in the gorgeous chaos of the world. ... they bring the world into focus, they corral ideas, they hone thoughts, they paint watercolors of perception.

After all, coffee is bitter, a flavor from the forbidden and dangerous realm.

Touch seems to be as essential as sunlight.

The great affair, the love affair with life, is to live as variously as possible, to groom one's curiosity like a high-spirited thoroughbred, climb aboard, and gallop over the thick, sunstruck hills every day.

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.