"I was in enough to get along with people. I was never socially inarticulate. Not a loner. And that saved my life, saved my sanity. That and the writing. But to this day I distrust anybody who thought school was a good time. Anybody."

"I've always believed in God. I also think that's the sort of thing that either comes as part of the equipment, the capacity to believe, or at some point in your life, when you're in a position where you actually need help from a power greater than yourself, you simply make an agreement."

"Americans are apocalyptic by nature. The reason why is that we've always had so much, so we live in deadly fear that people are going to take it away from us."

"The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool."

"To conquer fear is to realize that every choice we make paints the canvas of our life."

"Bravery is born the moment you decide your values outweigh your comforts. This remains the cornerstone of personal mastery."

"If merely 'feeling good' could decide, drunkenness would be the supremely valid human experience."

"It is a humble truth that bravery is born the moment you decide your values outweigh your comforts — an essential principle for the reflective life."