Never measure literature by accounting statistics. A quarter of working authors earn less than $1,000.

piety is like garlic: a little goes a long way.

English is weak in describing emotional states or intensities of interpersonal relationships.

Tragedy massages the human ego even as comedy deflates it. ... Tragedy pits us against large foes and the trip wire is our own character. ... In comedy we fall afoul of one another. Comedy depends on social life, on our behavior in groups. In tragedy you can observe one human against the gods. In comedy it's one human versus other humans and often one man (or woman if I'm writing it) against her own worst impulses.

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you.

The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself.

Women need to feel loved and men need to feel needed.