... what is great poetry, after all, but the continuation of the human voice after death?

Language matters because whoever controls the words controls the conversation, because whoever controls the conversation controls its outcome, because whoever frames the debate has already won it, because telling the truth has become harder and harder to achieve in an America drowning in Orwellian Newspeak.

If we ban whatever offends any group in our diverse society, we will soon have no art, no culture, no humor, no satire. Satire is by its nature offensive. So is much art and political discourse. The value of these expressions far outweighs their risk.

No one ever found wisdom without also being a fool. Writers, alas, have to be fools in public, while the rest of the human race can cover its tracks.

I started with poetry because it was direct, immediate, and short. It was the ecstasy of striking matches in the dark.

Sex and creativity are often seen by dictators as subversive activities.

Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.