Above, the stars shone hard and bright, sparks struck off the dark skin of the universe.

If there's one American belief I hold above all others, it's that those who would set themselves up in judgment on matters of what is "right" and what is "best" should be given no rest; that they should have to defend their behavior most stringently. ... As a nation, we've been through too many fights to preserve our rights of free thought to let them go just because some prude with a highlighter doesn't approve of them

Mrs. Cole was a perfect democrat. She hated all kids equally.

To write is human, to edit is divine.

Life was a wheel, its only job was to turn, and it always came back to where it started.

I do have one slightly crooked wheel upstairs, but everything else is ticking along just four-o, thank you very much.

If there is love, smallpox scars are as pretty as dimples. I'll love your face no matter what it looks like. Because it's yours.