If you would see a man's heart, knock him down. Then observe how he rises. If you would see his soul, do it a thousand times more.

War is more than battles, and battles are more than violence.

There is wisdom out there that can’t be relayed in musings or sage advice. Like the complexity of life itself, it simply won’t condense. It can only be shown in its entirety. It takes a story.

The weight of history swings on choices. To understand why people make the choices they do is to understand the whole of history and most of the future.

The universe holds a destiny in store for people who will not build their own, but they seldom like it.

Stories shape the world.

To weaken the body, remove blood. To weaken the character, remove struggle.

I do respect clever.

Animal rage is scary, but not as scary as control.

There is an undercurrent of savagery in the human psyche. Anyone who forgets this and doesn’t guard against it, risks being swept away by it.

If a tree dies, plant another in its place.

For a member to say, 'I'm a lame duck' violates political science 101.

Twitter! Never have lives been less lived and more chronicled!

Seeing the similarity to oneself, one should not use violence or have it used.

We as beings are very contradictory, complicated creatures that work in our best interest and against our best interest. In a certain way, I want my work to have all that messiness.

He was a man of his times. with one virtue and a thousand crimes. (The Corsair)

We are born sad and we die sad, but meanwhile we love bodies whose sad beauty is a miracle.

I got all the Sarah Palin I need for one lifetime.

The students at Gallaudet University deserve our congratulations. They educated the nation about deafness, and won a long overdue victory for all disabled people.

I hate it when my leg falls asleep. I know that means it's going to be up all night.