I love that Voltaire was so willing to shock his readers with arbitrary cruelty. And I can completely relate to it.

I don't like that The Simpsons are spokespeople for Burger King and MasterCard and Butterfinger. In the first Gulf War, I was really upset that the Simpsons characters were being drawn on tanks and bombs. But those are things that I don't control.

I'm not religious. I do have a baby - a four-month old girl - and that's a religion in itself.

As a John Kerry supporter, I wanted to send him a check. But then it occurred to me that most of that money would end up in the hands of advertising agencies and television networks. And the money would be used to create deceptive commercials that flatter our point of view and shade the facts our way. And I wasn't comfortable with that. But on the other hand, that's how the game is played. You're always grappling.

It was peculiar to be standing so close to him. He's just a man, but still, what a thing to be Neil Armstrong!

Experience as much as you can and absorb a lot of reality. Otherwise, your writing will have the force of a Wiffle ball.

The people who seem to have a lock on power get swept out in a couple of years. So it's naïve to keep swinging at the same targets over and over. It took me a long time to realize, but most of the shackles that I flailed against were just illusory.