I think that personal experience is very important, but certainly it shouldn't be a kind of shut-box and mirror-looking, narcissistic experience. I believe it should be relevant, and relevant to the larger things, the bigger things, such as Hiroshima and Dachau and so on.

I believe that there are no mistakes in the universe, so I think it all happens as it should!

I don't know if I believe in luck. I think I'm very fortunate.

I think the Catholic faith is consistent with the kind of conservatism I believe in.

I think it's important to experience kindness so that you can experience it more in the future. I believe that patterns of emotional behavior are set down before adolescence. And I think that if you have not observed kindness, you will not recognize it. You have to experience kindness in order to be kind.

I think my poems immediately come out of the sensuous and emotional experiences I have.