Charlie Hebdo: Satire was the father of true political freedom, born in the 18th century; the scourge of bigots and tyrants. Sing its praises.

Even for the most excitable preacher, there was nothing inherently sinful about a waffle.

Great art has dreadful manners. The greatest paintings grab you in a headlock, rough up your composure, and then proceed in short order to re-arrange your reality.

Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat raggedly on into the future.

Irreverence is the lifeblood of freedom.

What can art really do in the face of atrocity?

The irony about Charles II is not that he came to the throne because England needed a successor to Charles I, but because England needed a successor to Oliver Cromwell.

There are some places where history just grabs you by the jugular. This is one of them.

Nations don't start out. There is not a particular moment when they unveil the essence of themselves. They are always a work in progress.

But it struck me that the extreme violence and cruelty of the English Civil War had gone understated.

I actually think that history has fed off the restlessness of cyber space, of kind of the frantic, segmented nature of the way we lead our lives. People want to be connected.

Live now, die later!

It’s a little early in our relationship for us to be ‘surmounting, ’ but, hey, I’m game if you are. I’ll even let you be on top.” He looked directly at me, a coy smile playing on his lips.

Okay, so you want your other nipple pierced," she said pulling up a chair and getting her supplies ready. "She wants my other nipple pierced," he replied winking at.

You want to save more fish? Eat more broccoli.

For me, as for so many runners, there really are no finish lines. Runs end; running doesn't.

I had no problem going into retirement mode, ... I do what other retired guys do. I putter around the house and travel.

I do what I do and hope that it might connect with people who are thinking along the same lines.

The way you would know if someone is famous in the art world is that you would ask your mother. My mother knows who Picasso was. She knows who Warhol was.

Never worry about being obsessive. I like obsessive people. Obsessive people make great art

The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist.