A story is a really weird art object that should contain life but not be enslaved by the banality.

I tend to foster drama via bleakness. If I want the reader to feel sympathy for a character, I cleave the character in half, on his birthday. And then it starts raining. And he's made of sugar.

What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.

What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded . . . sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly.

Do those things that incline you toward the big questions, and avoid the things that would reduce you and make you trivial.

Developing our sympathetic compassion is not only possible but the only reason for us to be here on earth.

According to me, your life is going to be a gradual process of becoming kinder and more loving. Hurry up. Speed it along. Start right now.

It's a big world, and I really like it.

Character is that sum total of moments we can't explain.

The generalizing writer is like the passionate drunk, stumbling into your house mumbling: I know I'm not being clear, exactly, but don't you kind of feel what I'm feeling?

Kindness, it turns out, is hard - it starts out all rainbows and puppy dogs, and expands to include . . . well, EVERYTHING.

Love and poor parenting are acceptable topics for any formal meal I make.

Reading haiku is as much an art as writing it. The reader needs to pause and listen to the silences, to feel the spaces between the words, and to journey into the depths of many multi-colored worlds.

Every great achievement is but a small peak in the mountain range of contributions.

There's no way out of here.

Nowadays, with history not being taught anymore in American public schools, self-esteem is taking its place.

I have always felt better taking a risk than an easier route for what I believe in.

I'm OCD beyond comparison.

I was also just strong and quick - it wasn't hard for me to learn how to dance. I was a natural at it.

I don't know if I'm addicted to fame; fame is more of an unpleasant circumstance of an addiction to creativity.

I always love the quirky stuff, which is why I love Childrens Hospital. That really pushes the envelope of comedy.