Belief may be no more, in the end, than a source of energy, like a battery which one clips into an idea to make it run.

(I)f we are going to be kind, let it be out of simple generosity, not because we fear guilt or retribution.

The writers who have the deepest influence on one are those one reads in ones more impressionable, early life, and often it is the more youthful works of those writers that leave the deepest imprint.

When all else fails, philosophize.

We must cultivate, all of us, a certain ignorance, a certain blindness, or society will not be tolerable.

I know somewhat too much; and from this knowledge, once one has been infected, there seems to be no recovering.

All creatures come into the world bringing with them the memory of justice.

But he cannot see a connection between the end of yearning and the end of poetry. Is that what growing up amounts to: growing out of yearning, of passion, of all intensities of the soul?

I don't think we are ready to die, any of us, not without being escorted.

A book should be an axe to chop open the frozen sea inside us.

Become major, Paul. Live like a hero. That's what the classics teach us. Be a main character. Otherwise what is life for?

Often, people hurt things on accident... No one plans on hurting anyone, but it happens.

Christ loved the sons of men before there were sons of men, and me before there was me. If he was going to get tired of me, he would have done so before now.

I said we are Ghodratis and there's nothing that Ghodratis like more than a bargain.

There is superficial conflict but deep concord between science and theistic religion, but superficial concord and deep conflict between science and naturalism

My mom made me think I was gorgeous. When I was younger she was like, 'Look at you! You're an angel. You sparkle!' And I was like, 'I do!' You believe your parents.

You know, when they called me about the role, I thought Knots Landing was a show about a houseboat with Andy Griffith!

Earlier lives drift by on silver soles, and the shadows of the damned descend into these sighing waters.

I really don't deal with hypotheticals.

We are in a world that is connected, but is not communicating.

No doubt there is a Scandinavian wave. I guess everybody is just surfing their wave until it breaks and hoping it won't be too soon.