I want to be tolerant of other people's beliefs. I have wonderful friends who are religious, and I don't want to say that they're dimwits. They should certainly be able to pursue what works for them. I'm just saying that it doesn't work for me and I don't want to pretend that it does.

I find that the creative side of my brain and the archival side of my brain don't work well together. When I've done my best work, I've been in a trance-like state.

I'm a pessimist, but I have many painstakingly applied coats of optimism.

The most oblivious people are often the happiest.

I don't like the antagonism that most religions have for science, and freedom and, frankly, individuality. I do like the Dalai Lama.

As a writer you sometimes feel the need to shake things up.

I guess I started to realize that being an agnostic was such a wimpy position.