“people have a natural tendency to anthropomorphize their pets, to ascribe human perceptions and intentions to the animal where none exist”

“People existed, however, who believed that closet racist were everywhere around them. They needed to believe this in order to have prupose and meaning in their lives, and to have someone to hate.”

“reality is perception perception change....reality is fluid so if by reality you mean reliably tangible objects and immutable events then theres no such thing”

“These days, people spent too much time striving to understand their feelings - and then ended up with none that were genuine.”

“Envy, envy eats them alive. If you had money, they’d envy you that. But since you don’t, they envy you for having such a good, bright, loving daughter. They envy you for just being a happy man. They envy you for not envying them. One of the greatest sorrows of human existence is that some people aren’t happy merely to be alive but find their happiness only in the misery of others.”

“It's huge ears drooped over its face, and it brushed them back with one paw, then rose on its hind feet. The Pillsbury Doughboy might have something like this as his pet. ”

“The why of the mind's existence and the how of its profound capacity to reason - especially its penchant for moral reasoning - will by their very nature remain as mysterious as whatever lies outside of time.”