“It speaks very well for human nature that with the masses of dear friends we have it’s only to-day that one of them broke the news to us.”

“We see ourselves in other people’s eyes. It’s the nature of the human race; we are a species of reflection, hungry for it in every facet of our existence. Maybe that’s why vampires seem so monstrous to us—they cast no reflection. Parents, if they’re good ones, reflect the wonder of our existence and the success we can become. Friends, well chosen, show us pretty pictures of ourselves, and encourage us to grow into them.The Beast shows us the very worst in ourselves and makes us know it’s true .”

“Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we have the eyes to see them.”

“The one function TV news performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were.”

“We all have friends we love dearly that couldn't pass for human in a strict Turing test.”

“The world does not speak. Only we do. The world can, once we have programmed ourselves with a language, cause us to hold beliefs. But it cannot propose a language for us to speak. Only other human beings can do that. ”