It was often this way, life consisted of a series of false beginnings, bluff declarations of arrival to destinations not even glimpsed.

I try not to become too regular an addict of any one subculture.

I never take any notes or draw charts or make elaborate diagrams, but I hold an image of the shape of a book in my head and work from that mental hologram.

I've never related to the work geek at all-it sounds much more horrible than nerd. Like a freak biting a chicken's head off in a sideshow.

I learned to write fiction the way I learned to read fiction - by skipping the parts that bored me.

Someday I would change my name to Shut Up and save everybody a lot of time.

I work on a laptop specifically so I can work in cafes and pretend I'm part of the human world.

What age is a black boy when he learns he's scary?

It was only as I wrote about fear that I began to find paths of access to feelings that were intolerable to me then.

I want what we all want," said Carl. "To move certain parts of the interior of myself into the exterior world, to see if they can be embraced.

I can't bear the silent ringing in my skull.

The sun can shine, and it can burn. You can shine your love with a softer power than the sun.

Sure, we thought the acresThat we tilled were sacred, But how could we have knownThat wheat can haunt like ghosts

I think Christmas is about celebration and come on, on the inside everyone wants to dance.

In a real dark night of the soul, it is always three o'clock in the morning, day after day.

When religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion, its message becomes meaningless.

Every time I do it at least proves I can still do it.

You have to envision your life, and then go backwards.

It was darkly rumoured that the butler, regarding him with favour such as that stern man had never shown before to mortal boy, had sometimes mingled porter with his table beer to make him strong.

Despite many reports to the contrary, kindness, concern, and a desire to do good and make a positive difference in this life are alive and well in America. For that, I am extremely grateful.

I hope everybody's getting smarter.