“There may be significant things to learn about people by looking at what annoys them most.”

“It is the most ambitious and driven among us who are the most sorely in need of having our reckless hopes dampened through immersive dousings in the darkness which religions have explored. This is a particular priority for secular Americans, perhaps the most anxious and disappointed people on earth, for their nation infuses them with the most extreme hopes about what they may be able to achieve in their working lives and relationships.”

“A great writer picks up on those things that matter. It’s almost like their radar is attuned to the most significant moments.”

“You have to be quite heavily invested in someone to do them the honour of telling them you're annoyed with them.”

“Never too late to learn some embarrassingly basic, stupidly obvious things about oneself.”

“There is a devilishly direct relationship between the significance of an idea and how nervous we become at the prospect of having to think about it.”

“.. if you asked most people whether they believed in love or not, they’d probably say they didn’t. Yet that’s not necessarily what they truly think. It’s just the way they defend themselves against what they want. They believe in it, but pretend they don’t until they’re allowed to. Most people would throw away all their cynicism if they could. The majority just never gets the chance.”