I associate the truest spirit of Christmas with certain years when I had to spend it at my parents' house as an adult who had, presumably, escaped.

Life is a sandwich of activity between two periods of bed-wetting.

Even if you're the worst writer in the world, at least you'll have the evidence.

Writing books is a nice retreat. There's nothing quite like diving into a book for a few hours. That is a big time vacation.

That's part of fiction, creating a world better than the one you live in.

Cholesterol to go with alcohol; all the bad things in English-speaking life end in -ol.

Is a gesture of charity genuine or is it a kind of deep moral tax write-off?

I knew I was supposed to be a writer; I had made that declaration in the closet of my soul.

I don't know any more about America than one knows being trapped in it.

Conversations are the most direct way to connect with people.

Heavy booze is a big time vacation, but you come back with a headache.

How is it that music can, without words, evoke our laughter, our fears, our highest aspirations?

For if I do something, I never do it thoughtlessly.

I just want to go through Central Park and watch folks passing by. Spend the whole day watching people. I miss that.

Parents just don't understand.

People with Parkinson's are not some weird people on the edge of human experience.

The way to get better at a skill is to force yourself to practice just beyond your limits.

Does it make more sense to provide air conditioning or to limit CO2 emissions. I vote for more air conditioning in these susceptible regions.

Nowadays, as soon as a striker scores three goals, everyone starts asking him about it.

Although natural farming - since it can teach people to cultivate a deep understanding of nature - may lead to spiritual insight, it's not strictly a spiritual practice.

Ambition, old as mankind, the immemorial weakness of the strong.