If people choose to live their life in a way that does not confront the more troubling aspects of their experience that's fine if it works for them. But it will probably make them uncomfortable if they come up against somebody like me. So they just shouldn't! They shouldn't read my work!

Not only did I avoid speaking of Salinger I resisted thinking about him. I did not reread his letters to me. The experience had been too painful.

You know I've learned a lot from every person I've collaborated with from Madlib to Jean Grae and Hi-Tek to Mos to DJ Quik to even somebody like Jermaine Dupri. I've taken something important away from every experience.

When they call the slightest spending reductions 'painful' we will say 'If government spending prevents pain why are we suffering so much of it?' And 'If you want to experience real pain just stay on the track we are on.'

The mind uses its faculty for creativity only when experience forces it to do so.

The president felt that it was important to send an ordinary citizen to experience the excitement of space travel as a representative for all Americans.

The underlying message of the Lancet article is that if you want to understand aggressive behaviour in children look to the social and emotional environment in which they are growing up and the values they bring to the viewing experience.

From my experience politicians are much more uncomfortable being made fun of than they are being preached at and screeched at - you know and the soapbox routine. They're much more uneasy knowing they're a target of ridicule.

My ultimate aim is to make euthanasia a positive experience.

I wouldn't say I'm a method actor. I do research when I feel I don't have enough experience for the part I'm playing.