I'm an atheist, a devout atheist, but I find religion fascinating. Primarily because of cultural references, as in: This is what we grew up with. Both on a personal level and a collective level.

I wonder whether there is such a thing as a sense of individuality. Is it all a facade, covering a deep need to belong? Are we simply pack animals desperately trying to pretend we are not?

I believe one has to escape oneself to discover oneself.

...What happens is of little significance compared with the stories we tell ourselves about what happens. Events matter little, only stories of events affect us.

I wonder if being sane means disregarding the chaos that is life, pretending only an infinitesimal segment of it is reality.

The eye always fills in the imperfections.

I long ago abandoned myself to a blind lust for the written word. Literature is my sandbox. In it I play, build my forts and castles, spend glorious time.

What is the purpose of a city if not to grant the greatest of gifts, anonymity?

There are two kinds of people in this world: people who want to be desired, and people who want to be desired so much that they pretend they don't.

For someone like me and my generation, you had to speak French to be sophisticated, you had to be lighter-skinned.

Fate would never permit happiness to a man of such talent-a content poet is a mediocre one, a happy poet is insufferable.

Honest people are never touchy about the matter of being trusted.

Master of magic, god of war, Odin wanders alone.

The tides of change have great purpose in our lives.

Suffering ceases to be suffering when we form a clear picture of it.

If we are any good we must always be working towards the moment at which our Pupils are fit to become our Critics & Rivals

How can I play baseball when I'm worried about foreign policy?

Because your own strength is unequal to a task, do not assume it is beyond the powers of man.

He died alone because he was too embarrassed to phone anyone.

It's good to give some of the kids a chance for playing time and some confidence. It doesn't do any good to leave starters out there just to beat a team by 60-70 points.

Quality involves living the message of the possibility of perfection and infinite improvement, living it day in and day out, decade by decade.