You could not pity anything if you weren't a man; pity was a surprise to God. It was not his invention.

Writers who can't invent stories often substitute style for narrative. They remind me of the painter who couldn't paint people, so he painted chairs.

... we are all terribly alone no matter what people say.

I fix what's broken - except in the heart.

Some men are by nature explorers; my nature is to stay under the same moon and stars, and if the weather is wet, under the same roof. It's a strange world, why make it stranger?

All men are Jews, though few men know it.

If the stories come, you get them written, you're on the right track. Eventually everyone learns his or her own best way. The real mystery to crack is you.