When writing loses touch with the beautiful surface of the world, it loses its way. You always want to be in touch with how things look and what people say and what they call their dogs.

Marriage, friends, is a lifelong feast; love is no light lunch.

A good newspaper is never nearly good enough but a lousy newspaper is a joy forever.

I write for a radio show that, no matter what, will go on the air Saturday at five o'clock central time. You learn to write toward that deadline, to let the adrenaline pick you up on Friday morning and carry you through, to cook up a monologue about Lake Wobegon and get to the theater on time.

Why is divorce so expensive? Because it's worth it!

Humor is not a trick, not jokes. Humor is a presence in the world - like grace - and shines on everybody.

Your life is a work of art, and in the end, the underlying theme of great art is bravery and hope and love.