Blessed be shock. Blessed be the part of us that protects us from too much pain and sorrow. At the heart of life is a fusebox.

Was it the forgetfulness of old age or personal incapacity that made the man able to say please but not thank you?

We are all born like Catholics, aren't we—in limbo, without religion, until some figure introduces us to God?

A work of art works because it is true, not because it is real.

I can only tell my story, what you believe is up to you.

Animals in the wild lead lives of compulsion and necessity within an unforgiving social hierarchy in an environment where the supply of fear is high and the supply of food is low and where territory must constantly be defended and parasites forever endured.

It was a huge zoo, spread over numberless acres, big enough to require a train to explore it, though it seemed to get smaler as I grew older, train included. Now it's so small it fits in my head.