And human instinct is ancient and reliable, utterly mysterious and possibly capable of great genius. I believe that refined, fluent instincts are a person's most valuable asset. My own instincts have repeatedly guided me against the grain of logic and probability. When I have trusted and followed their direction, they have never been wrong. I don't know how or why. But I know that every significant experience-positive or negative-sharpens them and makes them more accurate.

Some of his childhood experiences were chronicled in Running with Scissors (2002) which was later filmed. Burroughs divides time between New York City and Amherst Massachusetts. The Turcottes who alleged that Running with Scissors was largely fictional and written in a sensational manner sought damages of $2 million for invasion of privacy defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Augusten Xon Burroughs (born October 23 1965 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) is an American writer known for his New York Times bestselling memoir Running with Scissors (2002).