You can go your whole life and not need math or physics for a minute, but the ability to tell a joke is always handy.

Where I come from, when a Catholic marries a Lutheran it is considered the first step on the road to Minneapolis.

Life is unjust and this is what makes it so beautiful. Every day is a gift. Be brave and take hold of it.

Your car, comfort though it be, this little den and dining room on wheels, is a prison that deadens your senses, and to feel wholly alive you must go for a walk.

IMPORTANT Book reading is a solitary and sedentary pursuit, and those who do are cautioned that a book should be used as an integral part of a well-rounded life, including a daily regimen of rigorous physical exercise, rewarding personal relationships, and sensible low-fat diet. A book should not be used a as a substitute or an excuse.

I usually don't work with other people; I do the whole show myself.

I love New York, and I'm drawn to a certain intensity of life, but I've just never felt like I want to escape from the Midwest. A writer lives a great deal in his own head, and so one intuitively finds places where your head is more clear. New York for me is one of those places.