Foreignness is all around. Only in the heart of the heart of the country, namely the heart of the United States, can you avoid such a thing. In the center of an empire, you can think of your experience as universal. Outside the empire or on the fringes of the empire, you cannot.

If you disagree with your government, that's political. If you disagree with your government that is approaching theocracy, then you're evil.

Forgiving men is so much easier than forgiving women.

As Charles Darwin said,'The economy shown by Nature in her resources is striking,'' says the Spirit. 'All wealth comes from Nature. Without it, there wouldn't be any economics. The primary wealth is food, not money. Therefore anything that concerns the handling of the land also concerns me.

...we must be a beacon of hope, because if you tell people there's nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing.

Good writing takes place at intersections, at what you might call knots, at places where the society is snarled or knotted up.

Sometimes reactions can be quite surprising: readers like things that you, the author, feel you've barely gotten away with; or they dislike one of the parts you secretly think is one of your little gems.