I was hated, you know. I made no secret of the fact that I was an atheist. People told me there are no atheists in fox holes. That's nonsense. [interview promoting Marching as to War (2002)]

Racism is a refuge for the ignorant. It seeks to divide and to destroy. It is the enemy of freedom, and deserves to be met head-on and stamped out.

The nation is bound together by its creative artists and not by parallel lines of rusting steel.

A Canadian is somebody who knows how to make love in a canoe.

The more I see of the country, the less I feel I know about it. There is a saying that after five years in the north every man is an expert; after ten years, a novice.

I only write books about dead people. They can't sue.

My best advice to writers is get yourself born in an interesting place.

I am an atheist, a rationalist and a humanist.

Anything was better than nothing. Half-full was better than empty. Ignorance was the lowest form of humiliation and suffering.

Where others saw gloom, I saw light or lit a candle.

It occurred to her that all the bad parts of life, the sad parts, the frightening ones, were meant to be offset by moments and memories like this. She had to be present in it, right here, right now.

The happier person is one, that acknowledges and accepts life won't get any better than this.

I'm just excited I get to sing all the time. There's nothing but open ears of people wanting to listen.

When it comes to art, money is an unimportant detail. It just happens to be a huge unimportant detail.

It does not do to neglect the gods of a place, whoever they may be. In the end, they are all one.

Give sacrificially. We don't like risky faith. We like to have our safety net below us. But we miss the adventure of seeing God provide when we've really stretched ourselves in giving.

I just think it's good to be confident. If I'm not on my team why should anybody else be?

When you're put in a position where you're having to decide, Is this a good decision? Is this the right decision for everybody involved? - it makes me feel a little unsteady, unsure.