"I'm a dogged person. I respond to adversity with a steely resistance."

"That adage about 'Write what you know' is basically the opposite of the way I function. I write about what I'm curious to find out."

"In the case of 'Goon Squad,' which sold slowly for a long time despite the good reviews, those 'best of 2010' lists were pivotal, and made the book really sell."

"But I always need to identify with a character to write about him or her - and by 'identify,' I mean see the world through that person's eyes and have a strong sense of the inner logic of their acts and decisions, wacky or wrongheaded though they might be. In that sense, I think there's some of me in all of them."

"As part of our layered approach, we have expedited the deployment of new Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) units to help detect concealed metallic and non-metallic threats on passengers. These machines are now in use at airports nationwide, and the vast majority of travelers say they prefer this technology to alternative screening measures."

"I am a huge fan of capitalism and a huge fan of entrepreneurship and changing the world with technology and with entrepreneurship. Capitalism is awesome. To me, capitalism is my religion."

"Looking down the road, space exploration and the benefits it yields - in medicine and information technology - should not be overlooked."

"I see technology as being an extension of the human body."