I felt, that night, on that stage, under that skull, incredibly close to everything in the universe, but also extremely alone. I wondered, for the first time in my life, if life was worth all the work it took to live. What exactly made it worth it? What's so horrible about being dead forever, and not feeling anything, and not even dreaming? What's so great about feeling and dreaming?

As long as I am thinking, I am alive.

Choosing leaf or flesh, factory farm or family farm, does not in itself change the world, but teaching ourselves, our children, our local communities, and our nation to choose conscience over ease can.

I tried to think about other things. I tried to invent optimistic inventions. But the pessimistic ones were extremely loud.

Compassion is a muscle that gets stronger with use, and the regular exercise of choosing kindness over cruelty would change us.

Oh,' she said. 'I have never seen a Jew before. Can I see his horns?

People who want to find a place of rest, want to find an integrated personality, sense of self, want fewer fractures in their lives.