Behind each biography there should always be a rich treasury of unformulated knowledge, a tapestry that has not been unrolled.

We are being governed by the dregs of the nation - and their brutality is so capricious that no one can feel certain that he will be safe tomorrow.

[On writing biography:] If you wish to see a person you must not start by seeing through him.

I do not think that one is likely to write a good biography unless one feels some sympathy with its subject.

The biographer's real business - if it is not too arrogant to say so - is simply this: to bring the dead to life.

You reproduce your life only when you work in the area of your calling

Live with an open mind and an open heart. Always choose love over fear and kindness over cruelty.

Excellence prospers in the absence of excuses.

It is utterly naive, futile, uninformed—to think that our species is exceptional. So designated to master the beasts of the Earth, as in the Book of Genesis!

They're only truly great who are truly good.

I love 'Top Chef.' I think it rewrote the book on how food shows are presented on TV.

Learning is discovering that somethinkg is possible.

A man polished to the nail. [Lat., Ad unguem factus home.]

Like roots finding water, we always wind up moving towards what sustains us.

Like cats and ice cream, showers were among life's simple, uncomplicated pleasures.