Of any stopping place in life, it is good to ask whether it will be a good place from which to go on as well as a good place to remain.

Human beings tend to regard the conventions of their own societies as natural, often as sacred.

Jazz exemplifies artistic activity that is at once individual and communal, performance that is both repetitive and innovative, each participant sometimes providing background support and sometimes flying free.

In many ways, constancy is an illusion.

...a disgruntled reflection on my own life as a sort of desperate improvisation in which I was constantly trying to make something coherent from conflicting elements to fit rapidly changing settings.

As you get up in the morning, as you make decisions, as you spend money, make friends, make commitments, you are creating a piece of art called your life.

The family is changing not disappearing. We have to broaden our understanding of it, look for the new metaphors.