God enters the world through those of us who are willing to let God participate fully in our lives.

Writing is not, alas, like riding a bicycle: it does not get easier with practice.

From the moment of birth, at every level, human beings who are more alike than different become polarized into two absolutely exclusive classes with very different and ill-distributed symbolic powers.

The fact is that ours is the only minority you can join involuntarily, without warning, at any time. And if you live long enough, as you're increasingly likely to do, you may well join it.

That's the trouble with honorable mentions: they let everyone know you applied and didn't win.

A line, once crossed, can never be uncrossed.

In a society that prates about, but seldom practices, communication, the craving to be listened to, heard, understood - which originates with the first terrified wail, the circling arms, the breast, the consolatory murmur - is hard to assuage.