We don't have the luxury of thinking ... Some people make all the decisions for us

...Despite the mayhem that followed, Bruno found that he was still holding Shmuel's hand in his own and nothing in the world would have persuaded him to let go.

What exactly was the difference? He wondered to himself. And who decided which people wore the striped pajamas and which people wore the uniforms?

Don't make it worse by thinking it's more painful than it actually is.

He looked the boy up and down as if he had never seen a child before and wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do with one: eat it, ignore it or kick it down the stairs.

If you are searching for sacred knowledge and not just a palliative for your fears, then you will train yourself to be a good skeptic.

When young people are insecure, they find ways to manufacture love tests – personal metrics to reassure themselves.

Conservation is key to preserving many of the world's natural beauty spots, so do your best to help by keeping to designated footpaths and being a discerning souvenir collector.

For pure joy, I look at a small painting by Arbit Blatas. An ocean liner is at the center of the composition, perhaps ready to depart. It holds the promise of discovery.

You picked the seats you did for a reason, right? Familiarity. Too bad the best sleuths avoid familiarity. It dulls the investigative instinct.

Nature: The unseen intelligence which loved us into being, and is disposing of us by the same token

If we put five people together, are there really five people? I don't think so, not in the world of magic. In the worlds of magic, there is only one being, reflecting itself in countless forms.

We don't suffer from a shortage of metaphors . . . But you have to be careful which metaphor you choose, because it matters.

I vent through my music. That's the only outlet I have.

The divorce was rough on all of us. I don't blame Hollywood for my family's problems. But having all of it reported in the press made it more of an ordeal.