Happiness, in one sense, is a function of how closely our world conforms to the infinite variety of human preference.

There is more going on beneath the surface than we think, and more going on in little, finite moments of time than we would guess.

Often a sign of expertise is noticing what doesn't happen.

I have a new way of doing things, and I don’t care if you think I’m crazy.

I'm in the storytelling business, and so you're always drawn to the unusual. And early on, I discovered that's the easiest way to tell stories... If you come up through a newspaper as I did, your whole goal is to get a story on the front page, and you only get something on the front page if it's unusual.

If you are going to do something truly innovative, you have to be someone who does not value social approval. You can't need social approval to go forward. Otherwise, how would you ever do the thing that you are doing?

To be someone's best friend requires a minimum investment of time. More than that, though, it takes emotional energy. Caring about someone deeply is exhausting.