After Puckoon I swore I'd never write another book. This is it

The world we create in our minds shapes the ultimate reality where we live

Don't teach talent that isn't there.

There is nothing but eternity. Eternity has always been and will always be.

My favorite food is deep-fried ravioli. I always get that every year.

The gardener does not make a plant grow. The job of a gardener is to create optimal conditions for growth

Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember.

Don't tell me that my parents didn't build their business.

Too much attention on problems kills our faith in possibilities.

The advice I give to all adventurers is to seek a place where they may sleep in safety.

There is nothing stronger than human prejudice. A crazy sentimentalism, like that of Peter the Hermit, hurled half of Europe upon Asia, and changed the destinies of kingdoms.