When I was very little, say five or six, I became aware of the fact that people wrote books. Before that, I thought that God wrote books. I thought a book was a manifestation of nature, like a tree.

Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he's buying.

No one I knew talked about money. It's not an area of interest.

You know, almost everyone is an irritant to me. I think people have forgotten what the word 'public' means. 'Public' means you're going to be irritated. It's a natural consequence of leaving one's home. You go outside, and there are people who are irritating. I'll be standing on the sidewalk, and someone berates me for smoking. I look at the person and think, but what about your shoes? How can you wear shoes like that and have the confidence to accost someone like me?

I don't like the kind of country living where you have to help. I like country living where there is help.

I've never seen the Kardashians; I'm not sure who they are. But I know a lot about them because it's impossible not to.

In fact, we live in a culture where intelligence, exceptional or not, is reviled.