“When I look at my students — we used to talk about our place in the world — I realize they are not sure of the place the world occupies in it. They don't know what will happen next. Everything causes them anxiety. Half of what my students write, or even more, is speculative fiction of one kind or another. And the speculation is not that we are going to live in a utopia in 20 years. The mood, as they say, is quite depressing. It's as if we have moved so far away from the possibility of joy that making it the subject of a book or story seems almost a privilege. As if we no longer want to touch it.”

With Andalusian culture and the botellón as a myth-reference:

“If you go to the poorest region of Spain, life is beautiful. I'm not saying it is completely free of poverty, but community ties are very strong. The things that make people happy are enthusiastically celebrated, whether it's wine, a good meal at noon, or that people have sex, talk about it, and enjoy it. They love their culture, even though, statistically, they earn half of what Mississippi earns. It doesn't matter. They are three, four, five, six, eight times richer than us in almost every other aspect.”

“You just have to be a little less xenophobic and find out what really matters to you. Is it having a 370-square-meter mansion, half of which you don't even see? Or is it sitting with friends, having a botellón, and enjoying their company?”