“Seasoning one’s claims with self-irony and modesty, cultivating a tolerance for moral ambiguity, periodically practicing normative reticence, building up a resistance to the pleasure of purity, minding your own business, doing what you can to forget to wreak vengeance, defending negative freedom even if there is no such thing, and playing around are the best you can do. But that’s quite a lot.”

“If you can remain with absolutely nothing to do for even a short period of time - that’s a taste of freedom. Being busy is ok, not being busy is also ok. Not caring whether you’re busy or not busy is really ok.”

“Western parents worry a lot about their children's self-esteem. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't.”

“Devil, do you dare approach me? and do you not fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on your miserable head?”

“I want to do things for people they will never forget. Maybe that’s the best thing I can do in life.”

“We face up to awful things because we can't go around them, or forget them. The sooner you say 'Yes, it happened, and there's nothing I can do about it,' the sooner you can get on with your own life. You've got children to bring up. So you've got to get over it. What we have to get over, somehow we do. Even the worst things.”