Yeah, I think A Confederacy of Dunces is probably the perfect New Orleans book.

New Orleans cuisine is Creole rather than Cajun.

In the Netherlands I read the first chapter of Exquisite Corpse to an audience that laughed in all the places I thought were funny - an experience I've never had in America!

The night is the hardest time to be alive and 4am knows all my secrets.

You hold onto what you have; you do not give it up easily, even when you know it is poisoning you.

You can only maintain an immensely gothic attitude for so long before either killing yourself or beginning to feel like a poser.

Some nights are made for torture, or reflection, or the savoring of loneliness.

I can't heal your pain but I can see it. And you don't have to be lost. Not forever.

Young writers shouldn't be afraid of striving to emulate their favorites. It's a good way to learn, as long as you move on from it and don't publish too many of the results.

Never relinquish your terrors. That's when they catch you.

Ive tried to avoid labels, but they always find you.

Hope is soothing, but it can become deceptive if we cling to it as the last resort against reality.

True wisdom is being able to say 'it is what it is' with a smile of celebratory wonder on your face.

You have been given a gift—your life. What will you do with it?

The most valuable lessons come not from teachers or textbooks, but from life experience.

Her daddy drank all day and mommy did drugs, never wanted to play or give kisses and hugs. She'd watch the TV and sit there on the couch, while her mom fell asleep and her daddy went out.

We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.

Nature and wisdom always say the same.

Ramanama can be used only for a good, never for an evil end, or else thieves and robbers would be the greatest devotees.

Do no harm & leave the world a better place than you found it.

As you wait for better days, don't forget to enjoy today, in case they've already started.