A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.
I am eternally grateful.. for my knack of finding in great books, some of them very funny books, reason enough to feel honored to be alive, no matter what else might be going on.
I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did'.
The chief weapon of sea pirates, however, was their capacity to astonish. Nobody else could believe, until it was too late, how heartless and greedy they were.
If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD WAS MUSIC
During my three years in Vietnam, I certainly heard plenty of last words by dying American footsoldiers. Not one of them, however, had illusions that he had somehow accomplished something worthwhile in the process of making the Supreme Sacrifice.
Here's what I think the truth is: We are all addicts of fossil fuels in a state of denial, about to face cold turkey.
How nice--to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.
I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.
Charm was a scheme for making strangers like and trust a person immediately, no matter what the charmer had in mind.