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

Nothing lasts. So it's my belief, yes, I know a lot of the things that we liked didn't last, but maybe things we don't like, they're also not going to last. There has been progress in my lifetime. There are certainly things that are better than when I was young, and there are things that are worse. New York City, it's worse. There's no question.

I believe in talking behind peoples' backs. That way, they hear it more than once.

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

Your responsibility as a parent is not as great as you might imagine. You need not supply the world with the next conqueror of disease or major motion picture star. If your child simply grows up to be someone who does not use the word "collectible" as a noun, you can consider yourself an unqualified success.

[On parenthood:] You can't change your mind--you know, and say, this isn't working out, let's sell.

When I saw a phone on a plane for the first time, I panicked ... I thought people were going to call me.