The sensation of writing a book is the sensation of spinning, blinded by love and daring.

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour and with that one, is what we are doing.

We wake, if we ever wake at all, to mystery, rumors of death, beauty, violence.

The creative process obtains in all creative acts. So if I'm painting suddenly I'll see something that I didn't see before.

Does anything eat flowers. I couldn't recall having seen anything eat a flower - are they nature's privileged pets?

I do not so much write a book as sit up with it, as a dying friend. I hold its hand and hope it will get better.

I had good innings, as the British say. I wrote for 38 years at the top of my form, and I wanted to quit on a high note.