The most deadly disease truly is the failure of the heart.

The existence of nuclear weapons presents a clear and present danger to life on Earth.

Justice and peace can only thrive together, never apart.

The more freedom we enjoy, the greater the responsibility we bear, toward others as well as ourselves.

Hope is the strongest driving force for a people. Hope which brings about change, which produces new realities, is what opens man's road to freedom.

It is essential that justice be done, and it is equally vital that justice not be confused with revenge, for the two are wholly different.

War, and the preparation for war, are the two greatest obstacles to human progress, fostering a vicious cycle of arms buildups, violence and poverty.

Peace is not a dream; it is hard work, and there is nothing naive, glamorous or simplistic about it.

Peace is a never ending process... It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests. It requires us to work and live together.

The effect of one good-hearted person is incalculable.

Peace consists, very largely, in the fact of desiring it with all one's soul.

There's no equivalent to Mozart in writing.

It's a blessing to have work that feels fulfilling.

I love the idea of living a life that is completely humble and quiet.

It is so much hard work writing your first novel. You're not even sure that it is possible to do.

I remember the '80s being about the Cold War and Reagan and the homeless problem and AIDS. To me, it was kind of a dark, depressing time.

I remember writing standup jokes without having done sets. But as soon as I did my first set, it didn't matter. Everything I thought would work didn't work. And everything I was iffy on was funny.

I spend most of my time writing.

if you give a man a fish he'll eat for a day, if you teach a man to fish he'll eat all the fish you may have caught for yourself

When you're an only child, you get very used to pleasing the adults around you.

All these kids who are growing up on Skrillex and all this digital music- what are they gonna think when they hear rock'n'roll?