I once listed all the good things I did over the past year, and then turned them into resolution form and backdated them. That was a good feeling

It's not that I'm not grateful for all this attention. It's just that fame and fortune ought to add up to more than fame and fortune.

I wanted to be a citizen of the world but not in a superficial way.

Sticks and stones will break our bones, but words will break our hearts.

Only now have I finally realized that my life has been an unending field trip. And I have tried hard not to be a tourist. But to be an adventurer, a traveler, an explorer, a learner, and a pilgrim.

Why is love easy? I don’t know. And the raccoons don’t say.

Sometimes, when asked the what-do-you-do question, it occurs to me to say that I work for the government. I have a government job, essential to national security. I AM A CITIZEN. Like the Supreme Court judges, my job is for life, and the well-being of my country depends on me. It seems fair to think that I should be held accountable for my record in the same way I expect accountability from those who seek elected office. I would like to be able to say that I can stand on my record and am proud of it.