I wonder sometimes if the motivation for writers ought to be contempt, not admiration.

But in the meantime I became accustomed to the writing life and it would be hard to change now - partly because of the salary cut if I went to my other love, teaching; and partly because I still have stories to tell, even though it isn't all that fun doing the work anymore.

Human beings may be miserable specimens, in the main, but we can learn, and, through learning, become decent people.

It's easy to manipulate your children when they're absolutely sure you're stupid.

To have a choice at all is to be free - even when the choice is between two terrible things.

I'm a Democrat voting for Bush, even though on economic issues, from taxes to government regulation, I'm not happy with the Republican positions. But we're at war, and electing a president who is committed to losing it seems to be the most foolish thing we could do. Personal honesty is also important to me, and Kerry is obviously not in the running on that point, given that he can't keep track of the facts in his own autobiography.

I am a creature of chemicals.