Something I've realized lately to my shock is that I am an optimist in that I think humans are almost infinitely capable of self-change and self-modification and that we really can build the future that we want if we're smart about it.

Wikipedia is just an incredible thing. It is fact-encirclingly huge and it is idiosyncratic careful messy funny shocking and full of simmering controversies - and it is free and it is fast.

When I was doing ensemble theater and comedy work I felt I had some talents. But when I started doing my shows in Berkeley and found that I could be funny on my own I was shocked.

Friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.

True friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.

Olympia was a town crawling with music. I was new to the whole punk scene. The culture shock continued Olympia had bagels! We didn't have bagels in Arkansas. You could order vegetarian food all over town! It was so crazy to me - a place with so many vegetarians the restaurants made special dishes for them?

I call on the Iranian people: it is not too late to replace the corrupt regime and return to your glorious Persian heritage a heritage of culture and values and not of bombs and missiles... How can a nation allow a regime to instill fear take away the people's freedom and shock the young generation that seeks its way out of the dictatorial Iran.

And then I went to 'Dawson's Creek ' which is a show that was for better or for worse all about the language. It was a word-perfect show which I'd never had any experience with. And it was really shocking for me. I felt really hemmed in. At the time it wasn't my favorite working experience.

The amount of meetings I've been in - people would be shocked. But that's how you gain experience how you can gain knowledge being in meetings and participating. You learn and grow.

No experience is a cause of success or failure. We do not suffer from the shock of our experiences so-called trauma - but we make out of them just what suits our purposes.