That sun, that light had faded, and she had faded with them. Now she was as grey as the season itself.

Writing novels preserves you in a state of innocence - a lot passes you by - simply because your attention is otherwise diverted.

To remain pure, a novel has to cast a moral puzzle. Anything else is mere negotiation.

I need noise and interruptions and irritation: irritation and discomfort are a great starter. The loneliness of doing it any other way would kill me.

All good fortune is a gift of the gods, and you don't win the favor of the ancient gods by being good, but by being bold.

Writing has freed me from the despair of living.

The essence of romantic love is that wonderful beginning, after which sadness and impossibility may become the rule.