“I'm an American — that's what I do for a living — I tell our stories. Each film is essentially asking the same question: Who are we? Who are those strange and complicated people who like to call themselves Americans?”

“Look, my priority is my career. It's my public service, but I want to try to live as balanced a life as I can. I think it's better to start now than to start 10 years from now.”

“I'm a liberal, reform Jew from Duluth, Minnesota. Okay? I'm a cultural Jew. I'm not a religious Jew.”

“A hundred duck-sized Chris Christies, because I think vanquishing each of them would be so satisfying.”

“People don’t know how much of the meme game is speed.”

“What a horribly boring question that was.”

“If I got to get stuck with somebody from Long Island, it's going to be Lou Reed. It's not going to be Billy Joel.”

“You're just dreaming some LSD-infused thing from the back of your subconscious that paints and splatters things Jackson Pollock-esque on the wall of your brain during dreams – taken from all different places.“

“What I tend to do is I sit and I write depending on how agitated I get.”

“I just did a one-hour interview about Twitter, and I'm not even on Twitter.”

“We were really captured by the idea that casual forecasters are often more correct than subject matter experts.”

“It isn't so much that I organize a day, but it is that when I'm doing something, I do that.”

“It would be very interesting to clerk for Justice Kagan. I don't necessarily share her interpretive leanings – I tend to be more textualist and originalist.”

“You should always fly first class unless you can fly private. The reason is because you can actually get work done.“

“A lot of young people come up after I give talks, they'll say they want to run for Congress. Don’t do it!”

“I must have believed because I remember very precisely the moment at which I stopped believing in God.”

“I always felt that I would probably be killed in Iraq. I didn't think about my life past Iraq.“

“Your head is in the water, you got your goggles on, just pounding out yardage. And when that's happening, you're alone with your thoughts.“

“I'm from the West – I don’t trifle with people, and I won't be trifled with. I don't care if you're a president, general, prime minister, et cetera.”

“We're all of value. If a 15-year-old kid writes with a question or comment, you should take it seriously and respond.”