The brain is where most people really screw up.

A person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.

I gauge success in years, not weeks. The weekend box-office approach to book launches is short sighted and encourages crappy books.

To do the impossible, you need to ignore the popular.

I discourage passive skepticism, which is the armchair variety where people sit back and criticize without ever subjecting their theories or themselves to real field testing.

Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.

You and your friends could plan the trip of a lifetime in 6-18 months to visit the completed school, teeming with dozens or hundreds of students who greet you with smiles and thank you letters. You'll know it's your school because your names will be on the door.