"Heaven will ask things of you at some point, perhaps small things at first. You must be ready."

“It's always been a great survival value for people to believe they belong to a superior tribe. That's just in human relationships.”

“Some of the great pictures happen along the journey and not necessarily at your destination.”

“Writing well involves walking the path of most resistance. Sitting still, being patient, allowing the lunatic dream to take shape on the page, then the shaping, the pencil on the page, breathing, slowing down, being willing–no, more than willing, being wide open–to press the bruise until it blossoms.”

“I have now reached the happy age of 23. No, happy is not quite the right word. At this particular moment I am certainly not happy.”

“The good life is best construed as a matrix that includes happiness, occasional sadness, a sense of purpose, playfulness, and psychological flexibility, as well autonomy, mastery, and belonging.”

“There are so many good venues in Chicago.”

“Fear is a question. What are you afraid of and why? Our fears are a treasure house of self-knowledge if we explore them.”

“Doing an experiment is not more important than writing.”