I was probably the first kid in my high school to go to Yale. I applied almost as a lark. Then, when I got there, I was the dumbest person in your class.

It terrified me to have an idea that was solely mine to be no longer a part of my mind, but totally public.

The role of art in society differs for every artist.

When I was very little, we would get letters from China, in Chinese, and they' be censored. We were a very insular little family.

I can't shout out, "Do this." I don't want to be prescriptive. I want to give you facts, and that's the way I've always operated, whether it's a historical fact or a scientific fact, and then you actually have to connect it in your brain.

If we can't face death, we'll never overcome it. You have to look it straight in the eye. Then you can turn around and walk back out into the light.

Some artists want to confront. Some want to invoke thought. They're all necessary and they're all valid.