“Books were a lot less messy than orgasms.”

“I personally can't think of anything less sacrosanct than a bad book or even a mediocre book.”

“A book is less important for what it says than for what it makes you think.”

“If I were asked what book is better than a cheap book, I should answer that there is one book better than a cheap book, — and that is a book honestly come by.”

“The results of civilization were surprising: our lives became more secure but less free, and we worked a lot harder.”

“It required a lot less energy, intelligence, and competence to run against government than to try to make government work.”

“Listen ladies, we were not born to be a man's play thing. We were not born to serve men... We are not less than or inferior to men. We are life. We give life. We nurture life. I don't understand how that's not a big deal but it should be a big deal. It's a great deal actually. We endure a hell of a lot of pain to keep the cycle of life going. Being treated less than essential, less than precious should not be tolerated. In fact, I don't even understand how it's allowed and normalized.”

“Surely it's better to love others, however messy and imperfect the involvement, than to allow one's capacity for love to harden.”

“Reality is far more complex and messy than many of the grander themes and explanations would have us believe.”

“I would say that my aims of writing this book are less concerned with the facts of history than with the truth of art.”