"I used to think religion was just more of the same thing. Dump responsibility on the big guy. Now I see an importance in that. It's a relief to accept that not everything is under your control."

"I suppose that is my central obsession. What we owe to society, what we owe to ourselves."

"Terms like that, 'Humane Society,' are devised with people like me in mind, who don't care to dwell on what happens to the innocent."

"I think the most interesting parts of human experience might be the sparks that come from that sort of chipping flint of cultures rubbing against each other. And living on the border between Mexico and the U.S. for so many years gave me a lot of insight into that."

"When one takes action for others, one's own suffering is transformed into the energy that can keep one moving forward; a light of hope illuminating a new tomorrow for oneself and others is kindled."

"Americans want grungy people, stabbing themselves in the head on stage. They get a bright bunch like us, with deodorant on, they don't get it."

"Hope is a very thin diet."

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."