The name we give to something shapes our attitude toward it.

He [an earnest young reporter] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be art, the object of children's books is to whip the little rascals into shape.

...One reason I became a writer was that I figured out that if you call yourself a writer, you can read all you want and people think that you are working.

Our fundamental task as human beings is to seek out connections-to exercise our imaginations.

Some folks are natural born kickers. They can always find a way to turn disaster into butter.

If you're a kid who is always on the outside hoping to be on the inside, you're watching a lot. You're trying to figure out how to become a normal person in a society that considers you weird.

You never know ahead of time what something's really going to be like.