The great irony is that people who live in remote areas, who are illiterate and don't own TVs, are in some ways more free because they are beyond the reach of indoctrination by the modern mass media.

That's what careless words do. They make people love you a little less.

Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.

There's really no such thing as the 'voiceless'. There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.

Wars are never fought for altruistic reasons. They're usually fought for hegemony, for business. And then of course there's the business of war.

He folded his fear into a perfect rose. He held it out in the palm of his hand. She took it from him and put it in her hair.

Ammu said that human beings were creatures of habit, and it was amazing the kind of things one could get used to.

...a political struggle that does not have women at the heart of it, above it, below it, and within it is no struggle at all.

She viewed ethnic cleansing, famine and genocide as direct threats to her furniture.

Empathy may be the single most important quality that must be nurtured to give peace a fighting chance.

NGOs are dangerous. They do what the missionaries used to do in Colonial times. They are Trojan Horses. The worse the situation, the more the NGOs.

Education isn't for getting a job. It's about developing yourself as a human being.

Religion is a very personal thing for me. Religion has its good moments and its poor moments.

Suicide is a terrible idea, but if you're going to end it, do so at a Pinkberry near you.

I know how to take good ideas and turn them into sensible law at great odds.

If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on learning to write and to speak before an audience . Nothing is more important than the abillity to communicate effectively.

Everything in writing begins with language. Language begins with listening.

Your bat is your life. It's your weapon. You don't want to go into battle with anything that feels less than perfect

I believe that all the important people in my life prior to 1982 were victimized by my illness

If you aim at anything lower that is expecting your audience to be really alert and aware, then you're going to be caught out sooner or later as a composer.

There's no doubt that I've deserved my enemies, but I don't think I've deserved my friends.