In addition I wanted to write a Southern novel, because I'm a Southerner.

The variety of genes on the planet in viruses exceeds, or is likely to exceed, that in all of the rest of life combined.

Science and religion are the two most powerful forces in the world. Having them at odds... is not productive.

That is the great mystery of human evolution: how to account for calculus and Mozart.

Thirty trillion dollars worth of services, scot-free to humanity, every year.

The commitment must be much deeper - to let no species knowingly die; to take all reasonable action to protect every species and race in perpetuity.

The paradox is that, by children taking shortcuts through computer games, through fantasies, through movies that load on all the emotional stimulation of encountering life in a stylized way - all of this is the equivalent of mainlining of paleolithic emotions, emotions about combat, about personal success, about overcoming monsters, about making powerful friendships, about winning wars and entering new territory.