Women have simple tastes. They get pleasure out of the conversation of children in arms and men in love.

Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop.

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

The demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

Morality is doing what is right, no matter what you are told. Religion is doing what you are told, no matter what is right.

Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses.

I wasn't afraid of being poor. I didn't want to live in a big house. I'm the perfect size for poetry. I can move around.

One can say that the city itself is the collective memory of its people, and like memory it is associated with objects and places. The city is the locus of the collective memory.

Private life is private life. Off the pitch, there is private life, and the rest is social life, where of course you have to behave responsibly.

The only times I'm consistent about praying are when I'm on an airplane or when an ambulance goes by.

If you are not in alignment with the moment, life is a struggle. Really, all you have to do is take responsibility for your inner alignment with now.

[Molecular gastronomy] was a great trend, because it experimented with food. The benchmark was [former elBulli head chef] Ferran Adrià, and now he is no longer there it is harder to gauge.

Sleep is like the holy grail. My trainer says if you're tired, your workout will suffer. Sleep is magic stuff.

How does the weakness of the dollar affect your business?

What I have learned over the years is to try to stay in the moment. I want to feel it all because I've realized nothing lasts.

It's worth your life to order an omelette in most restaurants. You never know what you're going to get.