I took the obligatory economics classes in school, but I've long been a fan of the Milton Friedman philosophy and its libertarian bent: One must be free to do what one wants to do, as long as you don't harm another. This is the seminal treatise on free-market economics.

My plan is to work on a master's in philosophy.

In a time when it is common for chefs to simply reproduce the innovations of others, the few who speak for themselves through their food become the skilled artists of their time.

I wasn't using college as a stepping stone to law school or some other career. I just wanted a liberal-arts education.

The Russian yearning for the meaning of life is the major theme of our literature, and this is the real point of our intelligentsia's existence.

Nine times out of ten, in the arts as in life, there is actually no truth to be discovered; there is only error to be exposed.

So if I have two pieces of cake, do I have twice as good an experience as the first piece of cake? One of the things I've found in life is that the first piece of cake is the best.

I'm not saying that I am all of my characters, but for me to bring a character to life, you've got to be able to find your own truth.