Well, it's a humor strip, so my first responsibility has always been to entertain the reader... But if, in addition, I can help move readers to thought and judgment about issues that concern me, so much the better.

I try to take people one at a time, with all the contradictions and compromises that most of us live with.

America: the only country in the world where failing to promote yourself is regarded as being arrogant.

Isn't it possible that self-esteem isn't causal at all, but simply the happy side effect of a sturdy character, itself the product of unambiguous moral education?

Medical decisions have been politicized. What doctor wants a state legislator in his consulting room?

When you're young, you don't feel iconoclastic - you're just kind of doing what seems natural, what moves you.

Lives have been altered in fundamental ways, and later, after they acquire a more complete understanding of what goals are actually attainable, many are left facing a lot of pain and frustration. And yet, there's no culture of complaint.