I'm fortunate in being able to find great satisfaction in my work.

The prospect of a long day at the beach makes me panic. There is no harder work I can think of than taking myself off to somewhere pleasant, where I am forced to stay for hours and 'have fun'.

Hedonism can be a rational response to a difficult life.

The essay must be artistically rendered: You must keep the reader engaged, whether with wit, conflict, mischief, and/or yes, with honesty.

Until people see poetry as springing from all of life, they will isolate it in a creativity corner and treat it like a mascot.

Most good essays are conversations with yourself - not just your decided thoughts but your dilemmas.

The trick is to realize that one is not important, except insofar as one’s example can serve to elucidate a more widespread human trait and make readers feel a little less lonely and freakish.

A personal essay often includes some or a lot of personal confession. That makes the reader feel less lonely in their confusion and darkness.

Have fun writing, because it enhances both the writer's and reader's experience.

Confession makes you a more trustworthy narrator.

In new work, we need to see the shadow, however faint, of previous literary effort.

You are message to the world make it motivating.

The medium is the message, the message is encrypted, and the encryption key is controlled by NSA.

I don't think they're terrible parents. They love us. I think they're negligent parents. That's not the same thing.

I'm not the healthiest eater, but I try to watch what I eat during the week. I kind of splurge on the weekends and eat french fries and pizza.

Why do I write? It's not that I want people to think I am smart, or even that I am a good writer. I write because I want to end my loneliness.

In New Zealand I think we often take ourselves too seriously, and being able to laugh at yourself is necessary in life without being too precious.

Success comes because you have found your ecological niche and can flourish by doing your own valuable thing.

I think life is short, and you can't spend time doing things just to be on set to reassure yourself that people are not going to forget about you.

Occasionally, a man must rise above principles.

Why, thou knowest I am as valiant as Hercules, but beware instinct. The lion will not touch the true prince. Instinct is a great matter. I was a coward on instinct.