You can't punish a child who is acting out because of sensory overload.

There needs to be a lot more emphasis on what a child CAN do, instead of what he cannot do.

What would happen if the autism gene was eliminated from the gene pool? You would have a bunch of people standing around in a cave, chatting and socializing and not getting anything done.

I am different, not less

The world needs different kinds of minds to work together.

The thing about being autistic is that you gradually get less and less autistic, because you keep learning, you keep learning how to behave. It's like being in a play; I'm always in a play.

If you have a 2 or 3 year old who is not talking, you must start an early intervention program. The worst thing you can do with an autistic 3 year old is to do nothing.

Nature is cruel but we don't have to be

I can remember the frustration of not being able to talk. I knew what I wanted to say, but I could not get the words out, so I would just scream.

I had people in my life who didn't give up on me: my mother, my aunt, my science teacher. I had one-on-one speech therapy. I had a nanny who spent all day playing turn-taking games with me.

People talk about curing autism. But if you got rid of all those traits, who's going to make the next computer?

For those who trust, life is a blessing. For those who don't trust, life is suffering.

I wake up every morning and I surprise myself. I wake up to a new me.

I think people often confuse success with fame and stardom.

Pry not into the affairs of others, and keep secret that which has been entrusted to you, though sorely tempted by wine and passion.

The image gets built one way or another... it doesn't get done by following the natural order of things, but arises instead from an order that you have in your mind.

I'm fascinated by politicians, because I suspect the huge majority of them go into it full of ideas and for the best possible reasons but end up being hijacked.

In the theater, as an actor, you're welcoming people into your house.

There are two victims in every abortion: a dead baby and a dead conscience.

I have my own opinions, but my songs don't share them.

The U.S. has the most complicated and difficult tax system in the world; we've made it hard to file and pay taxes.