“This Sarah Palin phenomenon is very curious. I think somebody watching us from Mars—they would think the country has gone insane.”

“It looks like they picked Sarah goddamn Palin. We have to get moving.”

“Do I worry about overly retouched photos giving women unrealistic expectations and body image issues? I do. I think that we will soon see a rise in anorexia in women over seventy. Because only people over seventy are fooled by Photoshop. Only your great-aunt forwards you an image of Sarah Palin holding a rifle and wearing an American-flag bikini and thinks it’s real. Only your uncle Vic sends a photo of Barack Obama wearing a hammer and sickle T-shirt and has to have it explained to him that somebody faked that with the computer.”

“It would be insane to call Hamlet a loser, though he has lost and I think that is the lesson of tragedy.”

“I think I benefited from being equal parts ambitious and curious. And of the two, curiosity has served me best.”

“Sarah Palin is living proof that you can't make a silk purse out of a horse's ass.”