I wanted to impress people because I was kind of a kid who was lost in the crowd - was sort of my, feeling about childhood was being part of a big family.

It's good to take a longer view and think, what would I really like to do if I had no limitations whatsoever?

The main thing that attracts me to Buddhism is probably what attracts every artist to being an artist - that it's a godlike thing. You are the ultimate authority. There is no other ultimate authority.

Literature is the safe and traditional vehicle through which we learn about the world and pass on values from on generation to the next. Books save lives.

People are really suffering these days. There's a lot of corporate triumph and a lot of personal despair as they wonder what are they working for.

As an artist I'd choose the thing that's beautiful more than the one that's true.

The only stuff I don't like are Broadway musicals. I hate them. I don't even like to talk about it. I can't bear musicals.