"Being human, at times, is very painful, and that leads us to reawakening."

“All of my novels are democracies.”

“Did you know that Mozart had no arms and no legs? I've seen statues of him on people's pianos.”

“I considered a lot of different jobs as a kid. I thought about becoming a priest or a lawyer. My father had a big linen-supply business and I considered working for him. What dawned on me was: 'If I'm an actor, I get to do the fun parts of every job!' Without having to go to four years of law school.”

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

“I just can really adapt to any kind of environment.”

“The filibuster is an affront to commonly understood democratic norms, but then so is the Senate.”

Source : "Ups and Downs" by Hendrik Hertzberg, www.newyorker.com. November 14, 2005.

“Socialism destroys everywhere one thing - diversity. Everything is supposed to be best, and as we know, best things are always in shortage. I remind once more that for reds "best" is what they consider "best" for us, and not what we like.”

“The intersection of religion and world politics has often been a bloody crossroads.”