The knowledge that my discriminations are skewed and not always universally desirable doesn't stop me in the least from making them.

Most good essays are conversations with yourself - not just your decided thoughts but your dilemmas.

Doubt is my boon companion, the faithful St. Bernard ever at my side. Whether writing essays or just going about daily life, I am constantly second-guessing myself. My mind is filled with 'yes, buts,' 'so whats?' and other skeptical rejoinders. I am forever monitoring myself for traces of folly, insensitivity, arrogance, false humility, cruelty, stupidity, immaturity and, guess what, I keep finding examples. Age has not made me wiser, except maybe in retrospect.

I really do like to write and when I'm not, I think, "Okay, I'll be a good citizen now" but fact is, that's secondary.

Contradictory strands create an essay that's richly ambivalent.

A personal essay often includes some or a lot of personal confession. That makes the reader feel less lonely in their confusion and darkness.

I've had an enduring appreciation of psychology.