I was raised to be ashamed of my ignorance, and to try to do something about it if at all possible.

I suspect that on some level, life is a matter of indefensible loyalties.

Generally speaking, writers who have been at it for a while, and who are any good at it, suffer from an acute kind of self-knowledge. The unexamined life is not a risk for them.

We're angry about this, upset about that, but who has the time to do anything anymore? There are those reports to report on, memos to remember, e-mails to deflect or delete. They bury us like snow.

My dad used to say, 'Just because you dress up in a coat and tie, it doesn't influence your intelligence.'

Women in leadership cannot cry without raising a storm of commentary.

Let me just say, at once: I am not now nor have I ever been a white man. And, leaving aside the joys of unearned privilege, this leaves me feeling pretty good.

Mistake, mistake, mistake. A strange word: stinging, somehow.

Age isn't important until you run out of it.

We cannot understand our humanity just by studying individuals.

All animals are minor variations on a very particular theme.

Do as much as possible, and talk of yourself as little as possible

Ronaldinho was virtually unstoppable at his best, as a forward or a playmaker.

Well, I think there are no villains in this world. There are just misunderstood heroes.