modern science was largely conceived of as an answer to the servant problem and ... it is generally practiced by those who lack a flair for conversation.

I am not personally a parent. But I do have two godchildren and am expecting a third. I am naturally concerned for their future. If I ruled the world you could bet your boots that none of them would ever set their eyes on any such contraptions as digital clocks and pocket calculators. But alas, I do not rule the world and that, I am afraid, is the story of my life - always a godmother, never a God.

There were a zillion bad jobs. That doesn't exist any more. I mean, I could wake up one afternoon with zero money and know that by the end of the day, I would have money.

Now people need special costumes to ride bicycles. I mean, a helmet, what, are you an astronaut??

There are some short essays that are very grave, and most contemporary novels are lighter than air.

You don't have to lay an egg to know if it tastes good.

It is, in fact, safe to assume that, more often than not, life imitates craft, for who among us can say that our experience does not more closely resemble a macramé plant holder than it does a painting by Seurat. When it comes to art, life is the biggest copycat in the matter of the frame.