I was a gift to my mother. She was a remarkable person. God or nature, or whatever those forces are, smiled on her, then passed me the best of her.

As a man, I've been representative of the values I hold dear. And the values I hold dear are carryovers from the lives of my parents.

Every new fashion is a form of rebellion.

I find myself, at this time in my life, no less challenged, no less plagued, no less intrigued by what I still don't know.

Far as I can tell, I still have most of my hair, my gut is not hanging over my belt, and I still have all of my teeth.

The older we get the less afraid we are.

Of all my father's teachings, the most enduring was the one about the true measure of a man. That true measure was how well he provided for his children, and it stuck with me as if it were etched in my brain.