The worst mistakes I've made have been the ones directed by sweet-natured hopefulness.

Needing something is not the same thing as being interested in the thing itself.

There's nothing to talk about to strangers anymore, if you know what I mean. Everything I want to say, I say to her.

When all the details fit in perfectly, something is probably wrong with the story.

You know, there's something heartsick about parties like this. Look at us. We're all pretending to be smart, as if intelligence were the cure for our anguish.

It's my feeling that any writer can get an emotion into a story without being sentimental as long as the emotion is dealt with honestly, with sufficient clarity, and detail.

You think that what I've told you is an anecdote. But really it isn't. It's my whole life. It's the only story I have.