I wonder why anyone would hesitate to be generous with their writing. I mean, if you really want to make a living, go to Wall Street and trade oil futures ... We're writers. We're doing something that is inherently a generous act. We're exposing ourselves to the muse and to the things that frighten us. Why do that if you're not willing to be generous? And paradoxically, almost ironically, it turns out that the more generous you are, the more money you make. But that's secondary. For me, the privilege of being generous is why I get to do this.

Where do you put the fear when you choose to innovate? The fear is there, but you have to find a place to put it.

Before you tell yourself you have no right to invent this or improve that, remind yourself that the person before you had no right either, but did it anyway.

One way to sell a consumer something in the future is simply to get his or her permission in advance.

The art of good decision making is looking forward to and celebrating the tradeoffs, not pretending they don't exist.

A product for everyone rarely reaches much of anyone.

Embracing the fear of freedom, deciding to determine your own path, this is the work of a grownup.