I am a New Yorker, and 7:00 A.M. is a civilized hour to finish the day, not to start it.

[On the desert:] The wind was a constant, and when you paid attention, it seemed like the earth's own breathing.

I was raised in a Bronx public housing project, but studied at two of the nation's finest universities. I did work as an assistant district attorney, prosecuting violent crimes that devastate our communities.

I am a very spiritual person. Maybe not traditionally religious in terms of Sunday Mass every week, that sort of thing.

You know, failure hurts. Any kind of failure stings. If you live in the sting, you will - undoubtedly - fail. My way of getting past the sting is to say no, I'm just not going to let this get me down.

I'm young at heart. I'm young in spirit, and I'm still adventurous.

I hope in my book [My Beloved World], that the sense that I really feel connected comes through.