Nothing is absolute any longer. There is a choice of beliefs and a choice of truths to go with them. If you choose not to choose then there is no truth at all. There are only points of view.

If you caricature friends in your first novel they will be upset, but if you don't they will feel betrayed.

A boy can be two, three, four potential people, but a man is only one. He murders the others.

There are three sides to every argument. Yours. The other guy's. And the right side.

There are ten commandments, right? Well, it's like an exam. You get eight out of ten, you're just about top of the class.

I'm criticized by the feminists, by the Jewish establishment, by Canadian nationalists. And why not? I've had my pot shots at them. I'm fair game.

Beauty, like male ballet dancers, makes some men afraid.

Each man creates god in his own image.

Edmonton is not the end of the world but you can certainly see it from there.

Fundamentally, all writing is about the same thing; it's about dying, about the brief flicker of time we have here, and the frustration that it creates.

In Canada, nobody is ever overthrown because nobody gives a damn.

Screaming and repeating lies makes them neither true nor more believable.

Jesus clearly said that you can do all that he did if you can believe, if you can center yourself in the creative flow, as he was always centered.

I had the fortunate experience to play with people from different schools of music. Sam Rivers is from the fundamentalist school of music.

I find it next to impossible to remain politely silent when people prate to me about the glory of being given another chance to live happily ever after!

The only relationship that can make both partners happy is one in which sentimentality has no place and neither partner makes any claim on the life and freedom of the other.

When I was in my twenties, I thought I was bulletproof.

No man has ever had a point of pride that was not injurious to him.

I've really learned not to try to take responsibility for all things. And to keep my side of the street clean.

A true teacher doesn't teach you to think like him, but to think without him.

Contemplative living is living in true relationship with oneself, God, others and nature, free of the illusions of separateness.