You can't show me a sentence, word, or phoneme that is meaningless; by its nature, language is packed with meaning and emotion.

An updated notion of genius would have to center around one's mastery of information and its dissemination.

Automation and technology don't cure behavioral ruts: they just create new instances of them.

If you work on something a little bit every day, you end up with something that is massive.

It's not plagiarism in the digital age -- it's repurposing.

Conceptual writing is looking for that "Aha!" moment, when something so simple, right under our noses, is revealed as being awe- inspiring, profound, and transcendent.

Language is material to shape and mold, not only a transparent or invisible medium for communication, business contracts, or telling stories.

I think that the richer and deeper documentation is on the web, the better off we all are.

I never wanted my books to be mistaken for poetry or fiction books; I wanted to write reference books. But instead of referring to something, they refer to nothing.

I've been trolled lots on Twitter. But I understand trolls for what they are and I don't let them get to me. They take my bait, so I'm in charge of the discourse.

My books are better thought about than read. They're insanely dull and unreadable.But they're wonderful to talk about and think about, to dip in and out of, to hold, to have on your shelf.

Only I don't close my eyes these days, because it hurts too much when I open them.

If winter comes can spring be far behind?

Aim at perfection and nothing less. Need the best. Deserve the best. Those who say it's not possible are the people who decided to settle.

Paradoxically, the most constructive thing women can do is to write, for in the act of writing we deny our muteness and begin to eliminate some of the difficulties that have been put upon us.

You have to be ready for luck.

A good teacher feels his way, looking for response.

I hate the idea that you ought to read the whole of anybody.

Until we recognize the essential role of biology, our attempts to truly unify the universe will remain a train to nowhere.

My final historical romance came out December 2005. While I enjoyed writing medieval romances, I was also dying to write something with more edge.

Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.