That's the funny thing about America--the blessed thing. As many people as there are to hold you back, there are angels whose humanity makes up for all the others. I've had my share of angels.

No blade can puncture the human heart like the well-chosen words of a spiteful son.

You live it forward, but understand it backward.

To be around someone whose self-confidence is more than what our first glance led us to expect is seductive.

Geography is destiny.

The world turns on our every action, and our every omission, whether we know it or not.

There is a point when grief exceeds the human capacity to emote, and as a result one is strangely composed-

God will judge us, Mr. Harris, by--by what we did to relieve the suffering of our fellow human beings. I don't think God cares what doctrine we embrace.

Being the first born gives you great patience.

When a man is a mystery to himself you can hardly call him mysterious.

The crookedness of the serpent is still straight enough to slide through the snake hole.

Murphy is a writer's best friend, but you have to keep an eye on him, or he'll steal the silver.

The lion will lay down with the lamb...but every morning they'll have to provide a new lamb. Maybe this world is another planet's hell.

Every artist is a cannibal/every poet is a thief/all kill for inspiration/and then sing about the grief.

Waxing was an interesting experience. Not quite as painful as I expected.

The Iraquis can see it. The Kurds can feel it. The jihadists are counting on it.

I was never a lonely child who sat looking at the rain sliding down the window.

It is part of politics to make things look better than they really are. What is a spin doctor but a serial euphemiser?

Writers let themselves be enticed by the language.

Just saying you are better than good won't make it so. But, when you understand what it takes to live the better than good life, and you apply yourself, your life will truly be better than good.