Death is simple. Life is messy. Give me life, the more complicated the better.

To the extent that this world surrenders its richness and diversity, it surrenders its poetry; to the extent that it relinquishes its capacity to surprise, it relinquishes its music; to the extent that it loses its ability to tolerate ridiculous and even dangerous exceptions, it loses its grace.

Western civilization was declining too fast for comfort, but too slowly to be very exciting.

The beet is the most intense of vegetables

If the novelist isn't surprised by where his book ends up, he or she probably hasn't written anything worth remembering.

The goal of this generation's pioneers should be to restrict procreation and limit consumption. They should also take every opportunity to make themselves happy, realizing that the key to self-generated happiness (the only reliable kind) is the refusal to take oneself too seriously.

You're better equipped for this world than I am," she said. "I'm always trying to change the world. You know how to live in it.