It's the irrational things that interest me.

The opera tells the story with all the built-in contradictions and from many different angles.

In the end it doesn't matter what you do.

I think there are influences that you open the door to, and influences that come under the door.

America gave the world the notion of the melting pot - an alchemical cooking device wherein diverse ethnic and religious groups voluntarily mix together, producing a new, American identity. And while critics may argue that the melting pot is a national myth, it has tenaciously informed the America's collective imagination.

Fear is destructive. Fear and creativity don't mix. Ultimately, it doesn't do you any good.

I started track and field when I was 12 and didn't get to an Olympic Games until I was nearly 23. By any stretch of the imagination that's a very long apprenticeship.

The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man - and the dogma is the drama.