I'm a New Yorker, and I jaywalk with the best of them.

I honestly felt no envy or resentment, only astonishment at how much of a world there was out there and how much of it others already knew. The agenda for self-cultivation that had been set for my classmates by their teachers and parents was something I'd have to develop for myself.

I listened very, very carefully to the world around me to pick up the signals of when trouble was coming. Not that I could stop it. But it made me observant. That was helpful when I became a lawyer, because I knew how to read people's signals.

Some people choose not to engage the battle and then don't seek out that kind of success. And others do.

When you come from a background like mine, where you're entering worlds that are so different than your own, you have to be afraid.

I was a keen observer and listener. I picked up on clues. I figured things out logically, and I enjoyed puzzles. I loved the clear, focused feeling that came when I concentrated on solving a problem and everything else faded out.

If the issue is letting the states experiment and letting the society have more time to figure out its direction, why is taking a case now the answer?