I love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.

I would like to evoke the sense of wonder and magic in the reader but without invoking the mystical, the supernatural or the transcendent.

A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.

War: First day in the U.S. Army, the government placed a Bible in my left hand, a bayonet in the other.

What is the purpose of the giant sequoia tree? The purpose of the giant sequoia tree is to provide shade for the tiny titmouse.

I am hopeful, though not full of hope, and the only reason I don't believe in happy endings is because I don't believe in endings.

Critics are like ticks on a dog or tits on a motor: ornamental but dysfunctional.