There's this resistance to actually talking to people who are smarter than you about things and I don't know why that is.

American culture never necessarily made sense to me, but they should warn you: leaving comes with a huge sense of alienation that never goes away.

Go to a place and just send out emails. That's my entire life. I go to countries and I ask, "Who would I know who lives here?" Not even do I know, but who exists and is on the planet.

I like European and South American literature, but mostly I read nonfiction.

You don't have to go to New York and you don't have to go to LA or London. Go somewhere cheap. Go somewhere with free art museums and then just go to art museums.

I knew my motivations for going to each place and what I was looking for. If I don't do that then I generally don't write about my travels.

I believe in free will.