The important thing is to find what's unique about yourself, find what's unique about someone else. And embrace everything in the moment, as opposed to constantly comparing yourself and your lover and your relationship to a static set of expectations.

My dad never blew anything up, but he probably had friends who did. He and my mom have always preached that the pen is mightier than a Molotov cocktail.

If you're going to put yourself above everybody else, you might end up alone.

His hands were weak and shaking from carrying far too many books from the bookshop. It was the best feeling.

When I arrived at Columbia, I gave up acting and became interested in all things French. French poetry, French history, French literature.

I'd been an actor my whole life, since I was a kid. And then, I quit for awhile and went to university. When I wanted to start acting again, I couldn't get a job, and that was really depressing. So, I realized, at that time, that I have to take responsibility for my own creativity.

Actors didn't use to be celebrities. A hundred years ago, they put the theaters next to the brothels.