If you have an idea of what you want to do in your future, you must go at it with almost monastic obsession. [...] You have to go at it single-mindedly and let nothing get in your way.

There are religions and social and moral awareness in any society that gets passed immediately. Those human truths. All cultures address them.

For me, speaking to anyone - on a stage, in an elevator - I am looking for impact and connection. The same goes for writing.

I continually remind myself to live by a code. It's very important to me. I've got a bad temper.

There is a concerted effort to keep you and me, you know, the people, away from what it [war] really looks like, 'cause when you're selling war, when it's such a big industry. What they don't tell you is the rest of it and the down side of it. And so obviously there is a lot of money and a lot of time and effort being spent on that campaign "perpetual war for perpetual peace".

A man with an excruciatingly painful condition wrote me and told me that his doctor said that the only cure for what he has is death, and he might want to consider suicide. What do you say to him? I doubt the, "Hey let's go get some coffee and talk" thing is going to be at all helpful.

Respect is not a one way street