Anderson Cooper

I realized I didn't want there to be anything left unsaid with my mom. I didn't want there to be questions that I still had about who she was and what her life was like. And I didn't want her to have questions about me as an adult. ”

My dad grew up really poor in Mississippi. I paid attention to that because I thought that's a healthier thing to pay attention to than, like, some statue of a great-great-great grandfather who has no connection to my life. ”

Anyone who has experienced a certain amount of loss in their life has empathy for those who have experienced loss. ”

I think my mom and dad both wanted to get across to me that... I obviously grew up with great privilege and was very lucky and was able to afford college and not have student loans, and they would pay for college, but beyond that, it would be up to me to make a living. ”

I understand why people might be interested. But I just don't talk about my personal life. It's a decision I made a long time ago, before I ever even knew anyone would be interested in my personal life. ”

The whole celebrity culture thing - I'm fascinated by, and repelled by, and yet I end up knowing about it. ”

I think the notion of traditional anchor is fading away - the all-knowing, all-seeing person who speaks from on high. I don't think the audience really buys that anymore. As a viewer, I know I don't buy it. ”

Obviously I was well aware that I had what people consider a privileged upbringing. My mom was never a bake-cookies sort of mom. I really had no reins whatsoever. ”

That's the thing about suicide. Try as you might to remember how a person lived his life, you always end up thinking about how he ended it. ”

My mom's made it clear to me that, like, there's no trust fund. ”