I grew up in the middle of dairy country in Wisconsin, about as far from any major metropolitan area as you can get. I always assumed I was going to be an actor. I don't know why. I didn't have any reason to think that. In fact, when I finally did tr...
The actual results of political diplomacy can openly be seen in critical moments. Turkey can insist on leading a very successful foreign policy, however, the acceptance of the fact of the Armenian Genocide by any influential global organization evide...
In what way can we reinforce the faith of our biological family when the culture at large is likely to eat away at that faith? Is our prevailing faith contingent upon seeing certain results of a general, cultural repentance -- lest we doubt the truth...
I don't like crowds of any kind. A dinner party of more than six people is not, for me, a pleasure. I get less social as I get older... I am very resistant to anything that keeps me away from the business of making these journeys into the fantastique...
The angry men know that this golden age (of fossil fuels) has gone; but they cannot find the words for the constraints they hate. Clutching their copies of Atlas Shrugged, they flail around, accusing those who would impede them of communism, fascism,...
When I was young and had no sense In far-off Mandalay I lost my heart to a Burmese girl As lovely as the day. Her skin was gold, her hair was jet, her teeth were ivory; I said, "For twenty silver pieces, Maiden, sleep with me." She looked at me, so p...
Fog does trap me to the Earth, For gravity no longer Holds me like the dark things do, Their will and brawn is stronger. Birds just may bypass these clouds To cower under stars Who shoot and lasso each of them In ties as strong as ours. Wings soon br...
I am a dash man and not a miler, and it is probable that I will never write a novel. So far the novels of this war have had too much of the strength, maturity and craftsmanship critics are looking for, and too little of the glorious imperfections whi...
I understand now that boundaries between noise and sound are conventions. All boundaries are conventions waiting to be transcended. One may transcend any convention if only one can first conceive of doing so. In moments like this, I can feel your hea...
So walk, or run if you can to your dreams. It doesn't matter if it's far or near. You can pause along the way but never stop, OK? Then hug it when you finally meet it! Embrace the moment. Love it and never let it go. Hold its opportunities and kiss i...
In science's pecking order, evolutionary biology lurks somewhere near the bottom, far closer to phrenology than to physics. For evolutionary biology is a historical science, laden with history's inevitable imponderables. We evolutionary biologists ca...
A short story is a sprint, a novel is a marathon. Sprinters have seconds to get from here to there and then they are finished. Marathoners have to carefully pace themselves so that they don't run out of energy (or in the case of the novelist-- ideas)...
I am the shee-it,” the adolescent said in a singsong voice. Then he swung around, smirking at the nearly five-thousand-year-old Egyptian vampire. “Who’s your daddy, M?” Far from being offended, Mencheres went over and flawlessly executed a st...
Whatever we believe about how we got to be the extraordinary creatures we are today is far less important than bringing our intellect to bear on how do we get together now around the world and get out of the mess that we've made. That's the key thing...
So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I don't even know how ugly and pretty get decided - maybe there's like a secret cabal of boys who meet in the locker room and decide who's ugly...
Way far back in the beginning of the world was the whirlwind warning that we could all be blown away like chips and cry- Men with tired eyes realize it now, and wait to deform and decay- with maybe they have the power of love yet in their hearts just...
I am far more of a loner than people would imagine. But I am the most gregarious and socially interactive loner you ever met. The thing is, I am fascinated by people's stories and I'm very talkative and can't ever say no to anything or anyone, so I t...
Cat: You probably think this world is a dream come true. But you're wrong. The other Wybie told me so. Coraline Jones: That's nonsense. He can't talk. Cat: Perhaps not to you. We cats, however, have far superior senses than humans, and can see and sm...
Lewis: This is the one! There she is. [Lewis pushes aside tree branches and we see the river for the first time] Ed: Looks good. Looks good. Lewis: [mournfully] Couple more months, and she'll all be gone. Bobby: [offscreen] Ed! Lewis! Ed: Even up as ...
Dr. Nefario: [a minion drinks from a bottle, starts floating] We've been working on this for a while now. It's an Anti-gravity serum. [the minion floats out an open skylight] Dr. Nefario: I meant to close that. He'll be alright, I'm sure. Gru: Do the...
[Frank is drunk at the cocktail party] Stan Fine: Frank is the luckiest guy in town! Frank Whitaker: It's all smoke and mirrors, fellas. That's all it is. You should see her without her face on. Doreen: Frank! Cathy Whitaker: No, he's absolutely righ...
