Well, I think the worst part about tribalism is its tendency to fundamentalize, and if I can fight fundamentalism in any of its forms I'm happy.

Everybody likes to have a place to think, to meditate, to eat a burrito.

If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing.

He loved her, of course, but better than that, he chose her, day after day. Choice: that was the thing.

Life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community.

If you teach kids how to tell stories, they have a better chance at everything.

What kind of life can you have in a house without books?

Don't live up to your stereotypes.

When you resort to violence to prove a point, you’ve just experienced a profound failure of imagination.

If one reads enough books one has a fighting chance. Or better, one's chances of survival increase with each book one reads.

Do you know why the Indian rain dances always worked? Because the Indians would keep dancing until it rained.

To create an inner peace of mind, be humble, gentle, harmonious, and kind.

Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists.

Happiness is not a reward - it is a consequence. Suffering is not a punishment - it is a result.

Growing up listening to rap music, you almost feel like you should have haters. That's an important part of being a successful musician. It's a good thing, I guess.

President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner played golf this weekend. Obama’s handicap is Joe Biden.

Go home and read to your adult. We forget how much we love to be read to.

The man who can get believers to praying would, under God, usher in the greatest revival that the world has ever known.

Escapism has value, even if I don't know what its value is, exactly. Maybe it's just part of some healthy way that we deal with the world.

I wanted to write a story that demanded the viewer's attention.

I have an ugly day every month; pimples on my face, I'm fat and in a bad mood. It's more like an ugly week!