I can never be safe; I always try and go against the grain. As soon as I accomplish one thing, I just set a higher goal. That's how I've gotten to where I am.

That's exhilarating if you're doing well, and very crushing if you're not. It leads, in the worst cases -- in the analysis of a sociologist like Emil Durkheim -- it leads to increased rates of suicide. There are more suicides in developed, individualistic countries than in any other part of the world. And some of the reason for that is that people take what happens to them extremely personally -- they own their success, but they also own their failure.

To write is to confront the void.

城市冰冷而空旷，没人在周围评判我。

True freedom is inner freedom.

I don’t have time to worry about something as trivial as what I look like.

绘画的行为是一种思考的方式。