“Lists are the only way out of this mess.”

“The only way out of this mess, of course, is to take steps to ensure that you control the idiots that you become. To take your chain gang, hand in hand, and lead them. The best way to do this is with a list.”

“The secret, of course, to any list is to keep it in a place where you’re bound to see it.”

“Time is an absurdity. An abstraction. The only thing that matters is this moment. This moment a million times over. You have to trust me. If this moment is repeated enough, if you keep trying — and you have to keep trying — eventually you will come across the next item on your list.”

“They tried to teach you to make lists in grade school, remember? Back when your day planner was the back of your hand. And if your assignments came off in the shower, well, then they didn’t get done. No direction, they said. No discipline. So they tried to get you to write it all down somewhere more permanent.”

“Believing the lie that time will heal all wounds is just a nice way of saying that time deadens us.”

“Not too many professions out there that value forgetfulness. Prostitution, maybe. Politics, of course.”