I thought I might write mysteries for the rest of my life.

A love story, at least a convincing one, requires three elements - the lover, the beloved, and the adventures they have together.

If novels and stories are bulletins from the progressive states of ignorance a writer passes through over the years, observations and opinions about horses are all the more so, since horses are more mysterious than life and harder to understand.

Somehow, knowing that Alzheimer's is coming mocks all one's aspirations - to tell stories, to think through certain issues as only a novel can do, to be recognised for one's accomplishments and hard work - in a way that old familiar death does not.

We sort of read two or three big newspapers but we don't get the flavor of the local events, the local news as much.

Well, in fact everybody - everybody - in the entire nation has enough stuff in their life to write about that's interesting that they could write their autobiography. And in the end that's why I find people interesting.

With any novel that you begin, you can't foresee how difficult or easy it's going to be, and you can't really prepare yourself. You just have a take it one step at a time and know that it's all right to keep going - you can always fix it.

Why are we reading a Shakespeare play or 'Huckleberry Finn?' Well, because these works are great, but they also tell us something about the times in which they were created. Unfortunately, previous eras and dead authors often used language or accepted as normal sentiments that we now find unacceptable.

The brave view is that talking it out helps work it out. Maybe the realistic view is that talking it out inflames the issues further. But that is America, especially these days.

Gossip. The more you talk about why people do things, the more ideas you have about how the world works.

Write every day, just to keep in the habit, and remember that whatever you have written is neither as good nor as bad as you think it is. Just keep going, and tell yourself that you will fix it later.

With horses, familiarity breeds comfort. If you haven't been around horses for a while (or ever), the best thing to do is to go to the racetrack, a horse show, a rodeo, or some other horsey activity, and watch the horses. Familiarize yourself with the way they move and behave themselves.

I had spent years thinking about one thing while I was doing another. I had, in fact, prided myself on being able to do two things at once.

Obesity affects every aspect of a people's lives, from health to relationships.

I say peace begins on your plate.

Nature did not put whales on this earth to splash kids while stuck in a pen.

In elementary school, we should teach nonviolent conflict resolution and healthy communication skills, which will help children cope with issues like rejection and sexuality later in life.

We have been brainwashed into craving a diet that is killing us. What we believe tastes good is generally what we have been socially conditioned to enjoy.

Taking care of our families isn't just about putting food on the table today. It's about ensuring that our children and grandchildren will have a habitable world where they can get to know various species of sea turtles.

Redemption isn't giving a bank robber a job as a teller.

I dream of a post-racial society that is not categorized by the color of their skin.

We have secrets, and we have the same secrets that criminals have. Sometimes the only difference between a criminal and a law-abiding citizen is that somebody found out the criminal's secret.

I've studied pathological liars, and anything they say, they believe, and that's one of the reasons they're so convincing, because they have no connection with the truth. It's a dead issue. It's like they're color-blind to the truth. So anything that comes out of their mouths is their reality.

Fame is often called a deal with the devil. Reality show fame is a really bad deal with the devil.

Now, Spitzer was an anti-crime crusader cracking down on prostitution and Wall Street corruption. So some people were looking to take him down.

Scientists have shown that pigs are capable of playing simple video games, learning from each other, and even learning names.

Denial is a very powerful thing.

Locking minors away for decades doesn't solve anything.

I actually get quite sad when I smell bacon.

If you know something is morally reprehensible, then it is your moral obligation to stop it as soon as possible.

We have allowed ourselves to be defined by our consumption instead of by our ability to move beyond it.

Shopping in the right kind of stores and looking for healthier foods can be a wonderful adventure to health.

There are definitions of morbid obesity. Doctors define it.

Travis Alexander was a good guy. Was he a saint? No. But he was somebody who was really, really invested in helping other people and making this world a better place. Everything he did, even the car he drove, was a sign of him trying to be a force for good in this world.

Capture of a wild animal is invariably traumatic.

We cannot consume our way into personal growth. Yet, millions of us have bought into this cynical concept of faux identity.

Cholesterol does not exist in vegetables. Vegetables do not clog arteries.

Wouldn't it help Americans more, in the long run, if we were forced to accept some responsibility for the environmental wreckage we prefer to assume is totally out of our control?

Someone once told me that being in the closet is like living in a vertical casket. Perfect description.

Honestly is always an option, even when you don't think it is.

I would love to speak with First Lady Michelle Obama about the addictive component of obesity.

I love working with PETA.

There's no better feeling in the world than knowing that my show played a role in stopping animal abuse or alleviating animal suffering.

In Hollywood, they say good news finds you.

The worst environmental decision you can make as a human being is to have 14 kids.

Family issues and a failing career would be enough to consume most young actresses.

In 2007, Lindsay Lohan seemed to be on top of the world, a bona fide star who had her pick of acting gigs. But it wasn't long before the veneer cracked, and Lindsay's life began to shatter.

She gets away with it. Everybody co-signs her bad behavior. It's like we all are co-dependent on Lindsay Lohan. When are we going to stand up to her?

Child Protective Services, all over the country, need to be revamped top to bottom.

There's no excuse in a technological age where we've got drones - you know, overhead, and we can monitor anything, all sorts of minutia - that we can't track living flesh-and-blood children.