The abstract, unreal freedom of the liberal intellect was really nothing more than childish disobedience, amplified into anarchy.

Art once made a cult of beauty. Now we have a cult of ugliness instead. This has made art into an elaborate joke, one which by now has ceased to be funny.

There is a deep human need for beauty and if you ignore that need in architecture your buildings will not last

Modernism in architecture went hand in hand with socialist and fascist projects to rid old Europe of its hierarchical past

A writer who says that there are no truths, or that all truth is ‘merely relative,’ is asking you not to believe him. So don’t.

Through the pursuit of beauty we shape the world as a home, and in doing so we both amplify our joys and find consolation for our sorrows.

The culture of a civilization is the art and literature through which it rises to consciousness of itself and defines its vision of the world.

Art and music shine a light of meaning on ordinary life, and through them we are able to confront the things that trouble us and to find consolation and peace in their presence.

It is not enough to be nice; you have to be good. We are attracted by nice people; but only on the assumption that their niceness is a sign of goodness.

In argument about moral problems, relativism is the first refuge of the scoundrel.

There are no chords in modernist architecture, only lines - lines that may come to an end, but that achieve no closure

I became a writer so that the voices inside my head would become an acceptable occurrence.

I’m not sentimental about anything. Life flows by, and you flow with it or you don’t. Move on and move out.

Really it's hard to know where the Republican Party ends and the Tea Party begins.

Don't do what you sincerely don't want to do. Never confuse movement with action.

What was previously perceived as nerdy is now viewed as original. What I like about nerdiness, geekiness, is it doesn't really matter what you're into - it just means you're not a follower.

I watch some kids ask the cafeteria ladies to sign their books. What do they write: "Hope your chicken patties never bleed?" Or, maybe, "May your Jell-O always wiggle?

We've seen in the last half century an incredible shift. This is just an extraordinary time to be alive.

No one, though has to go to college to make or understand or enjoy art. Wonderful artists and critics - some of the best - have educated themselves.

Silence speaks so much louder than screaming tantrums. Never give anyone an excuse to say that you're crazy.

When you have an individual that is committed to killing someone else, you can't expect a restraining order or the police to provide 24-hour protection.