Writing is very castrating in the moment. Fiction in general, it has no function, nobody asks for it.

Translators are like ninjas. If you notice them, they’re no good.

My father - I once asked him what was his greatest achievement. He said his greatest achievement was that he fought in five wars in the infantry, always on the front line, and never hurt anybody.

According to Gur's theory of boredom, everything that happens in the world today is because of boredom: love, war, inventions, fake fireplaces - ninety-five percent of all that is pure boredom.

It's kind of a reflex for me to ignore my own wishes and think about other people first.

If you want to learn how to be happy, you have to know what is sadness first.

Rabbits are played. Nowadays it's all about the turtles. Tell them it's a ninja, they'll freak.

The one who swallows cactuses with spines should not complain about hemorrhoids.

Writing a story is kind of like surfing, as opposed to the novel, where you use a GPS to get somewhere. With surfing, you kind of jump.

For three months, a person sits and looks at you, imagining a kiss.

Most of the Jewish writer friends I have are American, and I feel closer to them because they're always obsessed with one issue - identity: what does it mean to be an American Jew?

We walk into the rest of our lives together, not knowing it'll end before it's truly started.

Poetry is the way that we transcend language through language. And thus our freedom lies in the poetry of all things

Ultimately, it's my choice and only my choice.

Any place is sacred ground, for it can become a place of encounter with the divine Presence.

Members of Congress care about reelection most of all. And that means they care about their constituents. So you have to be a constituent to make your voice heard.

I feel like this whole idea of wanting something that you don't really have is also very American in a way.

All empire is no more than power in trust.

There are parts of me I only recognize from photographs.

I see no contradiction between Buddhism and Christianity ... I intend to become as good a Buddhist as I can.

Anybody who pretends to be objective isn't realistic.