Hope is not attached to outcomes but is a state of mind, as Vaclav Havel says, "an orientation of the spirit." And I have faith; maybe more than hope, I have faith. I think of my great-grandmother, Vilate Lee Romney, who came from good pioneer Mormon stock. She always said to us that faith without works is dead, so I think if we have hope, we must work to further that hope. Maybe that is the most important thing of all, to have our faith rooted in action.

Most of all, differences of opinion are opportunities for learning.

When one of us says 'look, there is nothing out there,' what we are really saying is, 'I cannot see'.

When we really need to work hard to make sure that these ideas about constructive social change culturally, ecologically and politically, come to pass. And that's only going to happen if people support the leadership, because the same power structures are still in place, and it's not in their best interests to change.

Community is extremely intimate. When we talk about humor, I love that you know when you're home because there is laughter in the room, there is humor, there is shorthand. That is about community.

In the early days of the Mormon Church, stewardship toward the land was a priority. It was a matter of survival in the desert.

I wonder about silence. Also about darkness. I love the idea that city lights are a "conspiracy" against higher thoughts.