Writing should be like skirts. Long enough to cover what it needs to cover and short enough to maintain interest.

Most of the answers to the world could be answered with our bodies.

It's like that where these little anecdotes come through, and I guess that's what I like about books like that [He Stopped Loving Her Today]. Fiction now is so experiential.

This [Thelonious Monk: The Life And Times Of An American Original] is another one of those books with the perfect blend of anecdote and analysis. The analysis is built into the anecdote. It has that right feel about it. It's not too scholarly, either.

Everybody is so sure about everything these days. Just look at your horrible Facebook feed on the most recent tragedy that people are commenting on.

I don't think anybody does anything anymore without commenting on why they're doing it or making fun of it as they're doing it.

I just realized that I never look at a painting and ask, 'Is this painting fictional or non-fictional?' It’s just a painting.