I wanted to get to that aesthetic proposition that comes out of learning the human elements of a world, so that those notes and rhythms mean something to you besides just the academic way in which they fall in place.

Your ethnic or sexual identity, what region of the country you're from, what your class is - those aspects of your identity are not the same as your aesthetic identity.

When a violent minority that crosses color lines comes to believe that killing those you know or do not know is a reasonable solution to problems, we are in need of another vision.

I wanted to get to that aesthetic proposition that comes out of learning the human elements of a world, so that those notes and rhythms mean something to you besides just the academic way in which they fall in place.

In America, we have to learn to be patient enough to figure out what somebody is saying. Somebody might actually be saying something.

The point is, you have an ethnic heritage and you have a human heritage. Your human heritage includes everything of human value.

Our society has gotten to the point where we might soon become less and less shocked by any kind of violence.