Love has its place, as does hate. Peace has its place, as does war. Mercy has its place, as do cruelty and revenge.

Above all, it is not decency or goodness of gentleness that impresses the Middle East, but strength.

Never, ever deal with terrorists. Hunt them down and, more important, mercilessly punish those states and groups that fund, arm, support, or simply allow their territories to be used by the terrorists with impunity.

One of the great problems with Americans is that - being a decent people - they assume that everyone else is equally decent.

I want people to fall in love with themselves and to be really proud and full of joy for the space they take up. If someone else appreciates the space you take up, then that's icing on the cake.

To say that a family is happy I think is to diminish it, taking out what is interesting. Growing up, I don't think my family was any happier or unhappier than anyone else's. My mother and father should have been divorced or never even married. On the other hand, I remember many moments of happiness.

Happiness is hard to recall. Its just a glow.

The joy of being a consumer is that it doesn't require thought, responsibility, self-awareness or shame: All you have to do is obey the first urge that gurgles up from your stomach. And then obey the next. And the next. And the next.