"The education that prepared me was my general education classes, which I tried to avoid when I was a stupid undergraduate, but which gave me the foundation of general knowledge that makes a career as a writer possible."

"My favourite all-time work of fiction: Lord of the Rings. My favourite all-time nonfiction book: Guns, Germs, and Steel. Ask me again next week, you'll get a different answer."

"Your work is first, learning is first, winning is everything because without it there is nothing."

"Laws against homosexual behavior should remain on the books."

"I don't really consider myself to be famous."

"What I dislike about movie culture is that it often presents a parable of our problems - but the issues are all straightforward and the people are either nice or they're not. In real life, everyone falls between those perimeters, but not many American films operate in that grey area."

"A lot of movies are about life, mine are like a slice of cake."

"Wisdom principle 77 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 44."