"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 Beatle…"

"I am a humanist, which means, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without any expectation of rewards or punishments after I'm dead."

"I think I am trying to make my head into a kind of lighthouse for other people. I'm trying to make a light shine on things I think are true."

"I think that the human race is going to wreck itself, and it is important that you get rid of all the things that you really don't need and that you learn to appreciate the things that you have."

"The universe is a big place, and we're all just tiny specks in it. So what's the point of worrying about anything?"