I understand maybe some people are more impressionable than my hard, cynical self, but maybe they need to figure out how to be less of that.

Feminism now seems to be defined as success is defined: as being as good at capitalism as men are. I feel very estranged from it.

I was twenty-one when I was hired by Planned Parenthood. It was my first work experience outside of either temping or working for my father at his store.

Once you leave, you're no longer of that country, but you are never actually of the country that you go to, and if you go back, you're not anywhere. You never belong to anything.

American culture never necessarily made sense to me, but they should warn you: leaving comes with a huge sense of alienation that never goes away.

Talk to people who know more than you. I feel like we're in this stupid sea of opinion, like "My opinion is valid because it's mine and I have it."

You don't have to go to New York and you don't have to go to LA or London. Go somewhere cheap. Go somewhere with free art museums and then just go to art museums.

Go to a place and just send out emails. That's my entire life. I go to countries and I ask, "Who would I know who lives here?" Not even do I know, but who exists and is on the planet.

There's this resistance to actually talking to people who are smarter than you about things and I don't know why that is.

I knew my motivations for going to each place and what I was looking for. If I don't do that then I generally don't write about my travels.

I like European and South American literature, but mostly I read nonfiction.

You don’t have to worry about getting the attention of others when you’re good at what you do.

She had a grocer's faith in books

If I only had a little humility, I would be perfect.

There is no single way to train, or do anything well. You have to keep thinking, keep doing things.

A friend cannot be considered a friend until he is tested in three occasions: in timeof need, behind your back, and after your death.

I respect the Kennedy family. I respect their service. They do a tremendous amount of good. You don't blame the children for the sins of the father and all of that.

I grew up under demanding people, that demanded things from you, expected you to toe the mark.

I no longer teach meditation, only software design.

Avoiding complexity reduces bugs.

I am interested in risk, in art as well as in the realm of politics.