People ... have no idea what a hard job it is for two writers to be friends. Sooner or later you have to talk about each other's work.

The tension between 'yes' and no', between 'I can' and 'I cannot,' makes us feel that, in so many instances, human life is an interminable debate with one's self.

The more I like a book, the more reluctant I am to turn the page. Lovers, even book lovers, tend to cling. No one-night stands or "reads" for them.

To be misunderstood can be the writer's punishment for having disturbed the reader's peace. The greater the disturbance, the greater the possibility of misunderstanding.

If a book is really good, it deserves to be read again, and if it's great, it should be read at least three times.

Two people making love, she once said, are like one drowned person resuscitating the other.

In an age like ours, which is not given to letter-writing, we forget what an important part it used to play in people's lives.