“It didn't do Michael a favor that I thought of him as being brilliant, and it didn't do a lot of people a favor that I thought in those terms, least of all myself. And at this point in my life, what's so moving is to reconnect with people who are just wonderful, who I didn't really know or notice enough to even share myself with when I was young. I had wonderful parents, but the unit of measurement was intelligence and originality and an ability to articulate the world as if that made you the master of it…but that, in fact, is not true.”

“But my wine and my whiskey and my cigars, which are the three things I like— I share, I drink, I trade. It’s around friendship, it's around community, it's around enjoyment.”

“I think the hardiness about Swedes compared to Americans is noticeable. Today, I went to do a doctor's visit and it was pouring raining outside. I didn't blink for a minute to walk there.”

“Dave Letterman was the person who inspired in me the love of the art of the jousting match, the wrestling ring, the parry and the dance of an adversarial but lighthearted comedic interview.”

“San Francisco is not like any other city. We're coming all the way back, full stop. We are coming back and we're coming all the way back.”

“No, I definitely am not writing to make any political point. I'm writing to clarify a situation that may well have a political consequence. But I'm not writing for the Revolution.”

“It's this very strange experience where when you're on the road you want to be home and then when you get home, you immediately want to be on the road again.“

“When you first leave religion, a lot of atheists go through a phase of being very upset and angry…”

“I think a lot of people come to their politics through their religion. I did the reverse. I got more into my religion through my political conservatism…”

“I don't know whether I'm older than the wall of separation between church and state.”

“I whistle happy birthday 650 times a year, and I do it because I want to honor their lives.”

“The soul might not take tranq on the street in Philadelphia or in Portland as it can’t rebel like that, but the soul’s just going to rebel if it is denied its fulfillment. That leads to much misery.”

“Now during the 2008 financial crisis, I was at Morgan Stanley and I gave away most of my bonus that year because I didn't think it was ethical for me to receive it. And in fact, I gave away a big chunk of it to the Mises Institute that year because they had opened my eyes to the alternative explanation for what really caused the 2008 financial crisis.”

“Once you find yourself saying, “But Salvador Dali had an ocelot,” — just really check yourself right there.”

“What is right? What is the principle I believe here, and how do I apply it evenhandedly?“

“At one point, when I understood that I am going to die, I couldn't stand the fear that took hold of me. It was beyond anything I ever felt in my whole life, the most extreme feeling of panic, and terror, utter terror. So, I kind of took a look at my life, and I became very grateful for what I have, what I had — for my life's trajectory and the people I met and the people I loved and who loved me back. And that was a really deep moment for me.”

“Probably living under communism and having grown up with Holocaust stories has made me more suspicious than other people about what the government tells you is true or good for you.“

“I became more political when I went to northeastern, liberal, establishment schools. I went to Groton School at the age of 14. And the teachers there were pretty uniformly liberal Democrats. And the more I listened to them, the less convinced I became of what they were saying.“

“Identify the three characteristics that you want in a spouse. Be sure they're the right ones. When you find someone who hits them, marry him or marry her. That's it.“

“Culturally, I'm definitely more on the left. I just went to Stonehenge.“