“The science of psychotherapy is knowing what to say, the art is knowing when to say it. (36)”

“I'd been trained in the art of psychotherapy, the excavation of the past as a means of untangling the present and rendering it livable. It's detective work, of sorts, crouching stealthily in the blind alleys of the unconscious. (179)”

“Assholes are like weeds, a bitch to get rid of and when you do another one grows back in its place.”

“Life is like a prism. What you see depends on how you turn the glass.”

“Optimism is denial for chumps with no life experience"."What's pessimism?" I said."Religion without God.”

“Nice concept.-What is?-Retreating. Getting away from the grind.-Oh, you never do. You just change gears.”

“I saw this cartoon in the paper, once. That Viking, Hagar the Horrible? He’s standing on the mountaintop, holding his hands to the heavens, shouting “Why me?” And down from the heavens comes the answer: “Why not?” Maybe that’s the ultimate truth; what right to do I have to expect a smooth ride?”