So many of the bands that influenced me growing up were English, even if I didn't realise it. English pop ruled the world in the '80s!

Tolerance, compromise, understanding, acceptance, patience - I want those all to be very sharp tools in my shed.

All art stems from a place of alienation. Intimate and alone. Most people are oppressed by the opinion of others, but I was not that way. I was afraid of the repercussions of not doing what I was told to do, what I was called to do by a creator.

I do like the ladies an awful lot. Surprisingly enough, it turns out ladies like me back; I'm a really good guy.

Meekness implies a spirit of gratitude as opposed to an attitude of self-sufficiency, an acknowledgement of a greater power beyond oneself, a recognition of God, and an acceptance of his commandments.

My imagination can picture no fairer happiness than to continue living for art.

The faith I was born into formed me. I come from a missionary family - I grew up in China - and in my case, my religious upbringing was positive. Of course, not everyone has this experience. I know many of my students are what I have come to think of as wounded Christians or wounded Jews.

Rationally, I was convinced that the universe without God made no sense, but that simply was not the same as believing. But I also knew that I could not argue myself, or be argued, into faith.