“So you’re reluctant, I said to myself. Many, many people are reluctant. It’s like having feet. It’s nothing to brag about.”

“...this is a hard world to be ludicrous in, with so many human beings so reluctant to laugh, so incapable of thought, so eager to believe and snarl and hate.”

“Now I become myself. It’s taken time, many years and places.”

“Why do I have to earn it by being good? Don’t you feel like bragging?”“It’s better when you beg,” he said, his voice low. “It’s always better when you beg.”

“Say the point of sex isn’t recreation of procreation or any of that stuff. Say it’s concentration. Say it’s supposed to focus your attention on the person you’re sleeping with--like biological hi-lighter. ... Otherwise, there’s just too many people in the world.”

“Oh, I say I have an ocelot and it’s a joke, but I’ve had so many news programs in this country say, 'So what’s it like, having an ocelot?” And I’ll say, “It’s marvelous just to see them run free. When feeding time comes and they’re mewling, it just warms your heart.' People will really believe anything. You may have noticed this. It’s not just me. Look around.”