The freedom to be an individual is the essence of America.

• Be able to live alone, even if you don't want to and think you will never find it necessary.
• Understand why casinos and racetracks stay in business - the gambler always loses over the long term.
• Be able to back up a car for a considerable distance in a straight line and back out of a driveway.
• Know how to travel from your town to a nearby town without a car, either by bus or by rail.
• I think change is possible, but only for individuals who were never truly gay in the first place and who have a strong personal motivation to recover their heterosexuality.
• Email, instant messaging, and cell phones give us fabulous communication ability, but because we live and work in our own little worlds, that communication is totally disorganized.
• The length of your education is less important than its breadth, and the length of your life is less important than its depth.
• Know the names of past and current artists who are most famous for playing their instruments.
• Know how to garnish food so that it is more appealing to the eye and even more flavorful than before.
• What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom 'to' and freedom 'from.'