Life is very difficult and we owe it to our fellow human beings to be as cheerful as we can.

I think the attractiveness of Buddhism is that it doesn't involve a belief in God. That appeals to a lot of people - intellectuals and well-educated people in particular.

I would like to see an agreement that recognizes that we live on the same planet and that some interests, such as human rights, must be universal and that all religions must be respected.

Children become more liberal partly as a reaction to their parents and partly through education. Education tends to make people a bit softer.

I've often admired the way many Catholics who have left the priesthood, for example, have nevertheless remained sincere Catholics. They voted with their feet.

When you love someone, you can just live without it. You desire to connect and communicate.

Hope is not a strategy

It bears mentioning that the Milky Way is only one of 150 billion galaxies visible to our telescopes - and each of these will have its own complement of planets.

It seems like the chaos of this world is accelerating, but so is the beauty in the consciousness of more and more people.

Writing, Im convinced, should be a subversive activity - frowned on by the authorities - and not one cooed over and praised beyond common sense by some teacher.

To wear the crown of peace, you must wear the crown of thorns.

I was put into this business by my parents as soon as I could walk. I was groomed by them for this business. I didn't wake up at the early ages of 5 or 6 and say I want to be a star.

I won't be satisfied with anything less than everything.

My dad is a loving person. He would never disown me. At some point we will be together again. I love my father, and he loves me.

It is guaranteed to put all teeth on edge, including George Washington's, wherever they might be.