My mirror image always had to be interpreted. And for that I sought my reflection in someone else's eyes.

Many people spend the ends of their lives alone, and probably a lot of years in the middle of their lives, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience the rewards of solitude.

The world is abundant with food for us, and with everything we need, if only we just open our eyes. There's so much food that gets thrown out or never harvested.

There is a lot of gender segregation. You still have many poor women who work in women-only jobs. In the family, in most cases, only women have the double job of working outside the home and taking care of the family.

Solitude offers a lot that being coupled or being in a group does not. It helps us learn what we are capable of.

Usually, ordinary histories don't get the emotional feel of a period. That's what a novel can do.

For many decades my relations with my parents constituted unfinished business. I had dealt with them through sheer avoidance and guilt.