"You can do and use the skills that you have. The schools need you. The teachers need you. Students and parents need you. They need your actual person: your physical personhood and your open minds and open ears and boundless compassion, sitting next to them, listening and nodding and asking questions for hours at a time."

"But there was something psychological happening there that was just a little bit different. And the other thing was, there was no stigma. Kids weren't going into the 'Center-for-Kids-That-Need-More-Help' or something like that. It was 826 Valencia."

"I can remember exactly where I sat when my teacher first read Roald Dahl's 'James and the Giant Peach'."

"Well, my background is journalism. I don't have any creative-writing experience except for one class I took as a sophomore in college."

"It is a subtle truth that he who conquers his inner doubts has already won half the war — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it."

"I don't really like labels in politics, but I will gladly accept the label of conservatism."

"When you are in any contest, you should work as if there were - to the very last minute - a chance to lose it. This is battle, this is politics, this is anything."