People often assume New York City is no place to keep a dog. This is certainly what my parents told me when I was growing up there. But I have found this not to be the case at all.

I have an older sister who sounds, unfortunately, exactly like me, and we sound like our mother did.

What I hold dear is well-known to all of my colleagues. And, really, The Times is the kind of place, the greatest journalism doesn't just pop forth from our heads. It's, you know, a group of people, and the great ideas bubble up from the reporters to their editors and get to us.

We human beings are a lot more resilient than we often realize. Resilient and perseverant.

In one's relationship with dogs and with a newsroom, a generous amount of praise and encouragement goes much better than criticism.

You know, a dog can snap you out of any kind of bad mood that you're in faster than you can think of.

If The Times said it, it was the absolute truth.