No matter how famous the victim, no matter how powerful the advocates, it simply isn't always possible to control the conduct of other people.

"No" is a word that must never be negotiated, because the person who chooses not to hear it is trying to control you... Declining to hear "no" is a signal that someone is either seeking control or refusing to relinquish it.

The hijacking of an American jet in Athens looms larger in our concern than the parent who kills a child, even though the one happens rarely, and the other happens daily.

I encourage people to remember that "no" is a complete sentence.

Niceness is a decision, a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait.

Most men fear getting laughed at or humiliated by a romantic prospect while most women fear rape and death.

We must learn and then teach our children that niceness does not equal goodness. Niceness is a decision, a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait. People seeking to control others almost always present the image of a nice person in the beginning.