Even intellectuals should have learned by now that objective rationality is not the default position of the human mind, much less the bedrock of human affairs.

The legendary yet factual Curtis Wilkie has been the right man in the right place at an uncanny number of extraordinary times.

Obama's the most thoughtful-sounding president I can remember. He seems to be saying what he wants to say, and that is a great relief. He always sounds like he's thinking about what he's saying while he's saying it, and that's a rare thing in politicians.

Studying literature at Harvard is like learning about women at the Mayo Clinic.

I like weeding, but I tend to think of it as a solitary activity.

Twitter. It's not a good sound, is it? If it were worth doing, there would be a better word for it.

I think a writer is not an ideal husband... Writers tend to get off into their own heads and not notice the people that they're living with, or they get irritable with the people that they're living with when the people insist on being noticed.