I write my books to challenge my own feelings and theories. Perhaps most surprising was what I learned about rice farming. It was really interesting to think of how different Asian and Western cultures are as a result of the kinds of agricultural practices that our ancestors used for thousands of years. The life of a Chinese peasant in the Middle Ages was so dramatically different from the life of a European peasant - night and day different.

It changes how people read you if you believe in God. It gives insight into your motivation, how you look at problems and how you deal with people.

An aggressive drug-testing program would cut down on certain abuses, but its never going to catch everyone - or even close to everyone.

It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success.

The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper, and re-imagines the world.

Change your mind about something significant every day.

If you play an audiotape of a yawn to blind people, they'll yawn too.