I think that part of being a good journalist, part of being an awake member of the world youre in, is to view yourself as an outsider, and I always have, to some degree.

Media has changed dramatically, as you and I know. We're in a world now where you're rewarded for being outrageous. Punditry has replaced reporting as the gold standard of journalism.

I think as long as you're straight with people, as long as you honor ground rules, as long as you serve your readers, you're going to get the door opened for you.

I'm sure people are badmouthing me. I think one of the interesting parts about the criticism has been the tenor of "how dare he." How dare an insider speak critically about other insiders?

I always keep my repertorial hat on.

Spirituality in Washington can be more of a - I don't want to say it - but, a networking opportunity. Religion is often used opportunistically in the political conversation.

Washington has always had a pretty healthy amount of self-loathing.

I'm just a journalist. I shine a mirror to the culture. I give the cop-out answer.

The shaming of Washington, insofar as it is even possible, is a very noble pursuit.

I've done a lot of tough stories over the years. I've done a lot of profiles over the years that have not always been, shall we say, helpful for the person who is being written about.

I work for a big newspaper, and I guess I'm an insider. I don't have the luxury of calling myself a foreign correspondent and just swooping in and then leaving.

Love can open like a flower out of even the hardest places.

Drunk words are sober thoughts

Nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won.

Without changing our pattern of thought, we will not be able to solve the problems we created with our current patterns of thought

Comedy is frightening at first because you're opening yourself up. When it's just you and people hate it, you're like, "Oh God. Do they hate me?"

I was neither doing these people nor myself a favor by showing up when my heart wasn't in it. There were not getting the real me, the whole me, the true me.

Peace need not be impracticable, and war need not be inevitable.

If you had an alien race that looked like insects, then they would build robots to look like themselves, not to look like people.

I thought jet planes were just trucks with more wings and less wheels.

No taxation without respiration.